


The Devil and The Hood

by Aragorn_II_Elessar



Series: The Devil and The Arrow Trilogy [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 01, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cannibalism, Gen, Murlance - Freeform, Post-Season/Series 02, Shared Universe, Slow Burn, Undertaking, sensitive content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-05 10:00:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 82,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15861375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aragorn_II_Elessar/pseuds/Aragorn_II_Elessar
Summary: When The Hood starts targeting his associates, Malcolm Merlyn makes new allies to help him in the Undertaking. In return for their help, he would take care of their problem- Daredevil.





	1. A dark idea

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil or Arrow
> 
> Before starting this story, I have to make one thing clear- This story is not related to 'The Devil of Star City' in any way. This is a different Daredevil/Arrow crossover.
> 
> In this crossover, Daredevil and Arrow exist in the same universe. As for the timeline of the story, both seasons of Daredevil have taken place but no Defenders stuff while Arrow Season 1 is about to reach its midseason finale.
> 
> Thank you to frequent guest reviewer of my stories on FF.Net- Chaos Sorcerer, for providing me with the idea.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malcolm approaches some dangerous people to solve his problem and in return, promises to solve their problem.

Starling City

A middle-aged man looked out of the window of his office. There were many things going on in his mind. Most of them recent and some things that had happened years ago. Right now, if people saw him like this- well-dressed, tall, formal and handsome, they would never believe even in their wildest dreams what this man had in his mind.

Malcolm Merlyn had a deep hatred for the place in Starling City known as the Glades and he also hated the people who lived there. A punk had shot his lovely, kind and caring wife there and passers-by had done nothing to help her.

Now, he had started an 'Undertaking' with a horrble purpose- to destroy the Glades and everyone in it. With his own money and money from other businessmen, he was building a Marakov device that could cause an earthquake.

But his associates were being targeted. By someone else. Something else. A month ago, a vigilatne had shown up in Starling City. He wore a green suit with a hood on top and wielded a bow and arrows.

He had targeted several businessmen and either killed them, or ruined them and left them for the police. The media and the police had dubbed him- 'The Hood.'

Malcolm knew that he was targeting the people on 'The List.' The Hood was dangerous to his plans. With all his associates in Starling City being taken out, he did not have enough money to get the device built within the time limit. But something else could be done.

New York was right across the bay from Starling City. In New York was the locality known as Hell's Kitchen. It was a rough neighbourhood. As rough as the Glades, if not rougher. But a vigilante lived there too. He was called 'Daredevil' and people had also nicknamed him- 'The Devil of Hell's Kitchen.'

He had been responsible for bringing down the crime boss known as Wilson Fisk and had taken down several other gangs too. An year later- The Irish, the Mexican Cartels and the Dogs of Hell had occupied the place due to the power vacuum but they had been hunted by someone far worse than Daredevil or The Hood. He was called the Punisher. His name was Frank Castle. He was a US Marine. His family had been caught in a gunfire between these 3 gangs and died so he had become this demon of death to destroy all criminals. Those 3 gangs had been wiped out mostly and Frank had also been presumed dead.

Currently, the place was occupied by the Gnucci mafia who also had a lot of money. A smile formed on Malcolm's lips as he had finally found a solution to his problem. He then went to the wall and slid aside a painting to reveal a fingerprint scanner. He put his thumb on it and it activated as the light turned green. He slid the painting back and the wall slid to the side, revealing a suit. It was his Dark Archer suit which he had not worn for a long time but was going to wear again.

* * *

Hell's Kitchen, New York

The Gnucci Crime Family were sitting in their hideout, playing cards. The members were Ma Gnucci, her brothers- Tony and Dino, and her sons- Eddie, Bobby and Carlo. They were all playing when suddenly the lights went out.

"What the hell is going on?" said Ma.

"Someone turn on the lights", said Tony.

The lights then came back on and a figure stood there. He was wearing a mask and had a hood to cover his head. He wore a dark suit of armor. He had a bow in his hand a quiver full of arrows was on his back.

The family quickly raised their guns to kill him.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Dino.

"How the hell did you get in here?" asked Eddie.

"It doesn't matter", said Ma with a smirk, "Because we're going to shoot you, you son of a bitch!"

As Dino tried to shoot him, he threw a fletchette and disarmed him. Then he threw something on the ground and there was smoke. The Gnuccis were blinded by it. When the smoke cleared, Dino was struck in the face by a bow and fell down, unconscious. Eddie tried to fire but the man sidestepped, grabbed his hand and elbowed him, making him stagger. Bobby and Carlo raised their guns but he tripped the former with his bow before smacking the latter, taking him down too. He then kicked Bobby on the face and he was out. Eddie tried to attack again but was struck on the face and was down too.

Ma and Tony tried to fire but he ran off, avoiding the bullets. He then disarmed Tony with a fletchette and disappeared into the shadows. As the two tried to look for him, Ma felt an arrow behind her head.

"Don't move!" said a distorted voice.

"What do you want?" asked Tony.

"I was just going to have a civil conversation with you", said the archer, "But you had to use your guns which forced me to retaliate. I have a deal."

"What kind of deal?" asked Ma.

"Well", said the archer, "I have started an Undertaking with a horrible purpose- to destroy a certain area with a device. But it needs to be funded. I was hoping you could do that."

"If we do", said Ma, "What's in it for us?"

"I will give you what every criminal in Hell's Kitchen wants", said the archer, "I am going to kill Daredevil for you."

At this, Ma's eyes lit up and she said, "I am listening."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's the introductory chapter finished. This was all I could think of for now. I think this makes sense to an extent. Right now- only Daredevil, Arrow and Punisher exist in this story. I find it hard to combine the entire MCU with the entire Arrowverse.
> 
> Once again, thank you to Chaos Sorcerer for the idea.
> 
> So what do you think? Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	2. Two Devils battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daredevil is attacked by the Dark Archer but he fights back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil, Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits and comments.

Hell's Kitchen, New York

On a rooftop in Hell's Kitchen stood a figure in a red suit. He was none other than Daredevil or as some people called him- The Devil of Hell's Kitchen.

But no one knew who he was or why he was a vigilante. His real name was Matthew Murdock, though he mostly went by Matt. He was a lawyer. When he was a child, he had been blinded in an accident but it had enhanced his other senses to superhuman levels.

His father had been murdered because he had refused to throw a boxing match. That and many such incidents had made him become Daredevil. Recently, he had lost someone he cared about more than anything- Elektra Natchios.

Calling their relationship rough or complicated was an understatement. But at the end of the day, the two loved each other a lot. Unfortunately, in the final battle against The Hand, she had fallen to their leader- Nobu.

Her slow death in his arms was going to haunt Matt for the rest of his life. Now, he was too pained to even go into his own apartment where the two had many happy memories together. He did not do much lawyer-work either. Most of his time was spent as Daredevil, beating criminals to a pulp. These days, he was showing even less restraint than before but he still couldn't bring himself to kill anyone. But deep down, he wondered if Frank Castle was right.

The sound of something stretching behind him brought him back to the present. He knew this sound was produced when an arrow was notched on a bow. But he stood still, deciding to surprise the attacker instead.

The bowstring was released and the arrow flew towards him at its fullest speed. At the last moment he dodged it by leaning sideways. He then turned around, brandishing his club and deflected another arrow. The one in front of him had blocked his heartbeat like the ninjas of The Hand did so he could not use it to detect him. But there were always other ways to hear people, like Stick had taught him.

The archer fired again and he deflected as the two moved towards each other. The archer fired one more time but Daredevil caught it before it hit him. Touching it, he realized it had a green fletching. Wasn't that the color of the fletchings on the arrows used by that Hood from Starling City?

He didn't have time to think as the archer tried to smack his face with his bow which he ducked to avoid and then flipped away to avoid another hit as he threw the arrow away. He tried to strike him with his club but the archer blocked with his bow.

The two were in a stalemate for sometime. The archer suddenly withdrew a fletchette and tried to slice Daredevil on the chest but fortunately, he had superhuman senses so this tactic wouldn't work on him. He jumped back just in time and avoided the fletchette. The archer threw it at him but he deflected it.

The archer tried to strike him again but he blocked with his club and pushed him back. He then divided the club into two sticks and as the archer struck again, he sidestepped and grabbed the bow from both sides with his sticks. The archer tried to free it but he kicked him on the stomach and then flip-kicked him on the face, making him stagger back as he dropped the bow.

As Daredevil moved towards him, he took out an arrow from his quiver and attacked him again. Daredevil jumped back to avoid being sliced by the arrow. He then moved in to punch the archer but he side-stepped and managed to slice his arm a little.

Daredevil winced a little because of the pain but he wasn't bothered much by the injury. The archer tried to slice him with the arrow, but at the last moment, he changed the hand with which he was using it. Daredevil's senses once again proved their worth as he jumped back just in time to avoid it. He then gave the archer an uppercut. Then he ran at him grabbed his head between his legs and flipped him to the ground.

The two got up at about the same time. The archer punched Daredevil and he stumbled back a little. Then he punched the archer who stumbled back. Before the archer could recover, Daredevil jumped in the air and gave him a flying kick, sending him flying back. The archer fell near his bow.

He staggered a little as he got up. Before he could do anything, Daredevil kicked him on the knee and it broke. The archer fell to the ground due to the pain. He then rolled away near his bow. Daredevil moved towards him but he threw a flashbang grenade to the ground, disorienting his senses for a moment and escaped.

After he was gone, Daredevil wondered what was happening. The green fletching on the arrow proved that it was The Hood who had attacked him. The archer had also shown the skills that could be associated with The Hood. So now, Daredevil wondered why The Hood had attacked him. The man's mission was to deliver justice to the corrupt rich so why did he travel all the way to Hell's Kitchen to try and kill him? What did he have to do with it?

There was only one way to find out. He needed to go to Starling City to investigate. As he thought of Starling City, he ended up thinking of someone. That someone was Dinah Laurel Lance. He had met her in law school. After Elektra's departure, the two had been in a relationship and he had cared for her but they had later broken up. Some piece of him still felt something for her though.

Pushing the thoughts of Laurel out of his mind, he decided to prepare for a journey to Starling City.

* * *

Starling City

Malcolm limped towards a rowbench that held some arrows and leaned heavily against it. He then ripped off his mask and hood and gave a sigh.

He was shocked to see that Daredevil was more skilled than him. So now, killing him was too difficult but he had a contingency just in case. The green fletching had been used by him on purpose.

The green fletching would make him suspect that The Hood was trying to kill him while wearing a different suit to conceal himself so he would undoubtedly come to Starling City to investigate. While he would be absent from Hell's Kitchen, the Gnucci family would believe him dead and during that time, he would take some of their money. If they would try to back out, he would use some harsher ways to 'persuade' them. Meanwhile, Daredevil and The Hood would probably fight and be too busy to stop him.

Malcolm gave a satisfied smile, realizing that he had killed two birds with one stone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think that by this point, Matt is more skilled than anyone from the first two seasons of Arrow considering that he could easily beat Nobu who had centuries of experience. Still, Malcolm would put up a good fight.
> 
> I hope this plan of Malcolm makes more sense than his plan in 3x9. And you guessed right. I am going to try something new, that is I am going to do a crossover paring, in this case Matt/Laurel or MurLance.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	3. Daredevil vs. The Hood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daredevil and The Hood battle each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil or Arrow
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits and comments.

The Hood entered the building. A guard tried to fire at him but he shot him on the shoulder and he was down. Another leapt at him to kick him but he grabbed his leg and threw him through a glass door. He fell down and lost consciousness.

Justin Claybourne was talking to a security guard when the Hood arrived.

"Kill that Robin Hood son of a bitch!" he commanded and ran off.

Before the guard could react, the Hood shot him on the shoulder and he was down. He then followed Claybourne through the door.

The Hood shot down a guard at the top of the left escalator. He shot another arrow that caused a small explosion. He leapt on the middle railing and on the right escalator. A guard followed him from behind. He turned, punched him and smacked him away.

He then turned to the guard in front of him. He stabbed him with an arrow twice and let him fall. A guard from the left escalator tried to punch him but he smacked him away. He smashed another guard's head on the wall. Another attacked him but he blocked and smacked him away.

He was angry right now. He had given Claybourne a deadline but he had not heeded him. He would continue to slaughter innocents in Lamb Valley for profit. He could not let such mass killings happen. He would not let another Matthew Shrieve win.

He flipped another guard and knocked him out. He then walked further.

The Hood reached the rooftop. Claybourne was running from him with 2 guards. He shot down the guards before they could do a thing.

Justin turned to him with a smirk."You gonna tell me again- I have failed this city?" asked Claybourne.

The Hood growled, "You infected the people in Lamb Valley to turn a profit."

"You want to make this city great again" said Claybourne, "This is how- with business, money."

The Hood said, "You are sentencing innocent families, children to death."

"Nobody cares about those people", said Claybourne mercilessly, "They're a blight. And I'm just... thinning the herd."

"So am I", declared the Hood and shot an arrow. It hit Claybourne right on his heart. He groaned and fell into the pool behind him, dead.

The Hood walked away. He normally wasn't a big fan of his killing method. But Claybourne had earned it.

As he was walking, he stopped on hearing something behind him. He had been on an island for years so his senses had been honed to peak human levels.

He knew someone was watching him. Turning around slowly, he notched an arrow and fired it. Daredevil deflected it with his club.

The Hood was surprised to see The Devil of Hell's Kitchen here in Starling City.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a growl.

"I think you know very well", Daredevil retorted.

The Hood fired another arrow but Daredevil flipped into the air and deflected it away. The two moved closer to each other as The Hood decided to use his bow as a bo-staff.

The Hood tried to smack Daredevil with his bow but he leaned backwards and then side-stepped when The Hood tried to bring it down on him. The bow clashed with the club.

The Hood tried to kick him but he jumped back to avoid. The Hood threw a fletchette but he caught it and threw it away.

Daredevil divided his club into 2 sticks. The Hood took out 2 arrows to use as melee weapons. The two then clashed their weapons for some time. The Hood tried to hit Daredevil with the arrows who blocked with his sticks. The two were in a stalemate for a while.

Daredevil suddenly kicked The Hood in the stomach and he stumbled back and then he flip-kicked him away as he dropped the arrows. The Hood flipped and tried to bring his feet down on Daredevil's head but he stepped away.

The Hood then fired another arrow at Daredevil. Daredevil tried to deflect it but it exploded. It was a flashhbang arrow and it managed to disorient him. As he staggered, The Hood smacked him in the stomach with the bow and then across the face.

The Hood then flip-kicked him on the side and then punched him away. He then smacked his hands with the bow and he was disarmed of his sticks. With another smack of his bow, Daredevil was on the ground.

The Hood took out an arrow, intending to stab Daredevil on the shoulder with it. As he brought it down on him, Daredevil grabbed his hand and smirked as he had recovered from the disorientation. He then head-butted The Hood and hit him on the elbow, making him drop the arrow. He then kicked him away.

The Hood tried to smack him with his bow again but he ducked and punched him in the stomach and then flip-kicked him. He then flip-kicked him on the hands and he was disarmed of his bow.

The Hood tried to punch him but he blocked and punched him instead. The Hood tried to kick him but he flipped back to avoid. He then picked up his sticks while The Hood picked up his bow. Before The Hood could try to take out an arrow, Daredevil rushed him.

The Hood again tried to smack him with the bow but he ducked and then smacked him in the stomach with one stick before smacking his knee with the other. As The Hood staggered, Daredevil smacked his face with the stick and kicked him away. With another flip-kick to the face, he brought him down.

The Hood tried to get up but Daredevil pinned him to the ground with his foot.

"What do you want?" The Hood growled, trying to reach for an arrow.

"You forgot?" Daredevil asked incredulously, "2 nights ago, you came to Hell's Kitchen and tried to kill me."

"What are you talking about?" The Hood growled.

"I am talking about you trying to kill me", Daredevil growled back.

"But I have been here this whole time", said The Hood.

"What?" asked Daredevil in shock. But The Hood's heartbeat was steady when he said that. Not even a slight falter. He was telling the truth.

"If it wasn't you", said Daredevil, "Then who was it?"

"I don't know", said The Hood.

Daredevil removed his foot from The Hood's chest and gave him a hand. The Hood took it and Daredevil pulled him up to his feet.

"An archer tried to kill me 2 nights ago", said Daredevil, "He moved like you. Fought like you. His arrows had fletchings like yours."

"Well", said The Hood, "I don't know anything about that."

"So are there any other archers around here?" asked Daredevil.

"Not that I know of", said The Hood, "But I guess we're looking at a copycat."

"Perhaps", said Daredevil, "Sorry about this."

"All good", said The Hood, "Happens to a lot of people."

"The question is", said Daredevil, "Why would this other archer use fletchings like yours?"

"I don't know", said The Hood before realizing, "Maybe he wanted us to fight."

"Why?" wondered Daredevil, "What would he gain by the two of us fighting?"

"Maybe…" The Hood trailed off.

"Maybe what?" asked Daredevil.

"He wanted the both of us occupied while he does something terrible", said The Hood as his eyes widened in horror.

Daredevil was equally horrified and said, "In that case, he needs to be stopped."

"You're right", said The Hood before asking, "What're you going to do?"

"Well", said Daredevil, "I guess for now, I am staying around here to investigate."

"I am not really into working with someone I know nothing about", said The Hood.

"Same here", said Daredevil, "I am going to carry out my own investigation and you carry out yours."

"Fair enough", said The Hood, "But if I find something related to you, I will tell you."

"Same here", said Daredevil.

The two then walked their different ways and disappeared into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise the following chapters will be longer. I have already said that I think Matt is more skilled than anyone from the first two seasons of Arrow at this point. While Oliver is less skilled than Malcolm who lost to Matt, he managed to put up a fight because of his flashbang trick arrow which disoriented Matt for a while.
> 
> If Matt did not have superhuman senses, I'm pretty sure the two would remain enemies for a longer while but with his senses, he knows Oliver is telling the truth. So the two are cool but won't work with each other for now.
> 
> I think I handled their first meeting better than I did it in 'The Devil of Star City.'
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	4. A Murdock in Starling City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Oliver finally meet as civilians as Matt and Laurel reconnect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil or Arrow
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.
> 
> You know people, I am not the best at writing romance. So while MurLance will happen, for the sake of this story, Tommy and Laurel are not in a relationship. Just assume that they decided to not go down that road. A love triangle is beyond me totally. I hope you don't mind.

Adam Hunt was talking to someone on the phone. Near him lay magazines which talked about his ruin in detail. He was asking the other person to help him in starting a new business.

Suddenly, he heard a sound behind him. As he turned, he saw an archer standing in the shadows.

"I'll have to call you back", he said to the other person and cut the call.

He assumed this archer was the same one who had ruined him.

"What?" he asked in anger and confusion, "You've come back for another pound of flesh? Well you're going to be disappointed, pal. Thanks to you I'm-"

He was cut off when an arrow penetrated his stomach followed by another and then another. He fell on his bed, dead.

The archer lowered his bow, looked at the body for a second and walked away.

* * *

Oliver and John were sparring with combat knives and they seemed evenly matched as both of them were blocking each other.

"Nice!" commented Oliver as he noted how much he had improved, "You're picking up pace."

"We could say the same thing about you", said Diggle, "You've crossed 3 names off your father's list this week alone."

"Some of these guys just give it up", said Oliver, "All I got to do is visit 'em."

"It seems the vigilante's reputation is beginning to precede him", said John as Oliver managed to scratch his forearm.

"Ah!" he said in surprise and a little pain.

"Another round?" Oliver asked with a smirk.

"No!" said John with a matching smirk.

Oliver walked towards the computer and put down his knife.

As he sat down, John said, "Gotta take my nephew to the mall so that he can tell Santa what he wants for Christmas."

"Christmas", said Oliver in surprise with a sigh, "I didn't even realize."

"Because you've been logging so many hood hours ever since that thing with Helena", said John before adding, "And even more after the confrontation with Daredevil to find out about the archer who lured him here to fight you."

Oliver gave John a look and said, "I meant…. there were no holidays on the island. There just…. Every day was- "How do I stay alive?" And to do that, you had to forget things. Like Christmas. My dad threw a Christmas party every year", he recalled with a smile, "He would put a Christmas tree in every room. The whole mansion smelled like….. It smelled like Christmas."

"Maybe give the List and this thing with Daredevil a rest", suggested John, "And enjoy the holidays with your family. Besides, I hear St. Nick has a list of his own. And I'd wager you're in the nice column. Go home, Oliver."

John walked out while Oliver sat on the chair, thinking.

* * *

Oliver walked back into the Queen Mansion. As he closed the door, he saw Thea walking up to him, wearing a dress.

"You look pretty", he said with a smile before asking, "What's the occasion?"

"Mom and Walter are having a dinner party with a bunch of big muckety-mucks", said Thea, sounding bored, "Best night of my life."

Oliver let out a sigh and said, "Thea, why aren't there any decorations up in our house?"

"What do you mean?" asked Thea.

"No wreaths, no tress", pointed out Oliver.

"Everyone's just been busy lately", said Thea, "I'm sure they haven't gotten around to it yet."

"Does Mom at least have some of those boxes of candy canes?" Oliver asked hopefully, "Remember we used to race to see who would finish first?"

"Yeah", said Thea with a smirk, "And I always won."

"No", said Oliver, "You cheated."

"Well", explained Thea as she started walking away, "She went sugar-free last year so I doubt you'll be seeing any of those around."

Oliver sighed and walked away too.

* * *

Later, Moira and Walter sat along with all the guests they had invited for the dinner party which included Malcolm.

"The thing that people forget is that Robin Hood was a criminal", said Commissioner Nudocerdo.

"And stealing from the rich to give to the poor is the job of the Democrats", joked one of the businessmen as the others laughed.

"All joking aside, Commissioner", said Malcolm, "Crime is down for the first time in 5 years."

"That is because of the changes that my department has implemented", said the Commissioner.

"Or perhaps it is because the vigilante's activities have had a chilling effect on the city's criminals", said Walter and there were murmurs of agreement while Malcolm simply nodded.

He looked at Oliver and asked, "What are your thoughts, Oliver?"

"I think the vigilante needs a better nickname than 'The Hood' or 'the hood guy'", joked Oliver as everyone laughed.

"I agree", said Malcolm with a smile, "How about- 'Green Arrow?'"

"Lame!" said Oliver bluntly as Malcolm smirked and sipped his drink.

Walter's phone rang and he said, "Forgive me!"

He looked at the phone and said, "It's the office. Excuse me!"

He then got up and walked out of the room as Malcolm looked at him.

A while later, a patrolman walked up to Nudocerdo and whispered something in his ear which turned his expression into a grim one.

"I'm sorry", he said as he got up, "Something's come up."

"Is everything all right?" asked Oliver.

"The vigilante has struck again", said Nudocerdo as everyone looked shocked, "He just put an arrow in Adam Hunt."

Nudocerdo then walked off with the patrolman as everyone whispered amongst themselves. Malcolm gave a very slight smile for a moment.

Oliver then took out his phone and pretended that someone was calling him.

"I really do need to take this call", he said, "It's my contractor. Excuse me."

Moira nodded as he got up and walked out.

* * *

Quentin looked over at Hunt's body as Nudocerdo arrived.

"The daughter came over", Quentin explained, "Used her key, found dad. Hat trick to the chest."

"The hood guy", said Nudocerdo.

"That's what I thought at first", said Quentin, "But these black arrows aren't consistent with his M.O. and neither is the fact that the Hood took hunt for $40 million a few months ago. Doesn't make sense to kill him now. Something doesn't add up. We're dealing with a copycat."

Outside the apartment, The Hood listened. He did not know that Daredevil was standing above the apartment and listening as well.

* * *

"So why would this other archer who set you up to fight Daredevil and then kill Adam Hunt?" asked John.

"Another setup I guess", said Oliver.

"Whatever this guy is planning, it is definitely not good", said John.

"The guy is good", said Oliver, "The grouping on Hunt's chest was tight. Compound bow, most likely. And Daredevil said he could mimic me very well. So the guy's a….. The guy's a legitimate archer and a skilled fighter."

"So someone who would be particular about his arrows", said John.

"We get an arrow", said Oliver, "We get a bead on where he purchased them."

"What're you gonna do?" asked John.

"What anyone does when they need help", said Oliver before surprising John by saying, "Call a cop."

* * *

"Quentin Lance!" said a cop as he walked up to him and gave him an envelope.

"Yeah!" said Quentin as he took it and the cop showed him a paper saying, "Sign here."

Quentin signed it and gave it back saying "Thanks."

He then opened the envelope and pulled out- a phone.

He sat down and looked at it in confusion.

Suddenly, it rang but the number of the caller was blocked.

He accepted the call and said to the caller, "Lance here!"

"I didn't kill Adam Hunt", said the voice on the other side.

"You!" said Quentin angrily as he realized who the caller was.

"You call me 'The Hood'", said The Hood, "It's not a great nickname."

The Hood then got down to business, "You told Commissioner Nudocerdo that we might be dealing with a copycat which makes me your best bet to take him down. But I need your help. I need one of the arrows from his murder."

"Yeah", said Quentin sarcastically, "We're good at pulling leads off evidence, thanks."

"Not like I am" said The Hood, "I can do things the police can't. Go places they won't."

"Look, I already told you", said Quentin angrily, "I don't even know who-"

"If this archer doesn't stop with Adam Hunt then we both have a problem", The Hood cut him off, "Think about it. Then call me. Number's programmed in."

The call was then cut.

* * *

Oliver and Thea sat together at Big Belly Burger eating fries which was decorated for Christmas.

"I think there should be a national holiday for the guy who invented fries", commented Thea, "Or at least a statue."

"There is no Christmas party", said Oliver in realization, "Is there?"

When Thea didn't reply, he said, "Thea! Dad used to have them every year. Did you all just think that I wasn't gonna notice?"

"Hi, Thea", said a young boy as he walked up to them.

"Hi, Shane", she said to him before pointing to Oliver and saying, "This is my brother, Oliver."

"Nice to meet you", he said to Oliver, "Thea's brother. Bet the food on that island is better than the stuff they serve here."

"You'd lose that bet", said Oliver.

Turning to Thea, he said, "We're heading out to the bay, if you wanna come."

"Thanks but, uh", said Thea, "I'm spending the afternoon with my brother."

Oliver gave a slight smile at that as Shane said, "Another time. See you."

He then walked off and Oliver asked Thea, "How do you know that Shane guy?"

"We rob banks and smoke crack together", joked Thea.

"Heh, that's funny" said Oliver, "I have a feeling I'm not gonna be a fan."

"You don't even know him", argued Thea, "Let's change the subject."

"Fine", said Oliver, "You were gonna tell me why we're not having the annual Christmas party."

"When you and Dad disappeared", said Thea, "By the time Christmas rolled around, none of us felt like celebrating so we kind of skipped Christmas that year. Every year. And it's really fine."

"No", said Oliver, "No, really it's not."

The two sibling then ate in silence.

* * *

"We're having Christmas", said Oliver to Thea, Moira and Walter who were sitting together on a couch while he stood in front of them, "I went 5 years without it and then Thea tells me that you guys didn't have it either and I'm the reason. So maybe now I can be the reason we have Christmas again."

As the three looked at each other, Oliver said, "I thought I could throw the annual Christmas party."

Thea let out a humorless chuckle and asked, "You?"

"I know that I haven't been the son, stepson or brother that all of you deserve", said Oliver, "Especially lately but this feels like the right moment to start making up for lost time. What do you say?"

Moira gave him a smile and said, "I say yes."

"Yes!" said Oliver happily as Walter smiled.

"Okay", he said, "I will take care of everything. You don't have to do anything. Just show up, look fantastic and bring some Christmas cheer, okay?"

"Okay", said Moira as Oliver walked off but stopped on seeing the look Thea was giving him.

"Fine", she said on noticing his look.

"You're a good man, Oliver", said Walter to him sincerely.

* * *

"Hell yeah", said Nelson Ravich to the person he was talking to on the phone as he walked on the street, "I gave him the money."

As the man on the other end berated him, he said, "$70 million isn't worth getting an arrow through the chest. And if he's got a problem with that, you can tell him-"

He was cut off when he felt something sharp go into his back. An arrow then protruded from his chest, having pierced his heart.

As he fell down, the Dark Archer lowered his bow, looked at him for a moment and walked off.

* * *

"Commissioner, this is Nelson Ravich", said Quentin to Nudocerdo as they looked over at his body, "The Hood hit him earlier this week. Ravich wired back the money he embezzled less than five minutes later."

"All right", said Nudocerdo as he gestured for Quentin to follow him to a corner which he did and Nudocerdo said, "We tell them The Hood did this. Hunt's murder is a Page 10 story at best but Ravich's murder makes this a serial-murder case. We can't let the public get wind of the idea that there are 2 of these nutjobs out there."

"You want me to ignore a serial killer?" asked Quentin incredulously.

"Just get one of these psychos", commanded Nudocerdo, "I don't care which one. That's a direct order from your commanding officer."

As he walked off, Quentin said, "Well. You can forget it then."

"Fine", said Nudocerdo, "It's forgotten. And you're off this case, Sergeant. Effective immediately."

As he walked off, Quentin gave him a defiant look and made up his mind.

* * *

Oliver's phone rang and he knew it was Quentin calling him from the phone he had given him.

He picked it up and said, "Don't bother tracing this back to me. You'll never make it past the encryption."

"There's a heating vent on the corner of O'Neil and Adams", said Quentin, "You'll find what you're after there."

"It'd be a mistake to set a trap for me, Detective", said Oliver in a warning tone."

"I'm trading away everything I believe in", said Quentin truthfully, "It's the only way to get this bastard. You've got till Christmas. After that, copycat or not, I'm coming after you."

* * *

Oliver analyzed the arrow as John walked up to him and said, "So your friend Lance gave you a Christmas present after all."

"Hm-mm", confirmed Oliver, "Teflon-coated titanium blades. Separated to split the bone. Shaft is some type of specialized polymer which is stronger than your typical carbon fiber. This…. This is custom job."

"Lance gave in after the other archer dropped another body", said John in realization.

"Nelson Ravich", confirmed Oliver.

"Which is another name crossed off your father's list", pointed out John, "So is this guy trying to frame you or call you out? And why the hell did he trick you and Daredevil into fighting each other?"

"Either way", said Oliver, "I have to stop him."

* * *

Quentin and Laurel watched the press conference of Nudocerdo on TV where he said The Hood had killed Hunt and Ravich.

"It isn't him, is he?" Laurel asked Quentin, "The man in the hood, he didn't kill those people."

"You're the one who said he was a monster", said Quentin to her.

"He was trying to protect me", she argued, "This is different."

There was a knock on the door and Laurel said, "It's probably Joanna. She said she was gonna come by with some files."

She switched off the TV and walked towards the door. She opened and to her surprise, it was Oliver.

The two looked at each other awkwardly and then Oliver looked at Quentin.

"Merry Christmas, sir", he said to him politely and shook his hand, "How are you, sir?"

"Proficient with firearms", said Quentin angrily.

"Dad!" said Laurel and he quickly walked away.

"What're you doing here?" she asked him.

"We're having a last minute Christmas party", he said to her, "And I'd like to invite you to it."

He then gave her the invitation and she said, "But I want to spend the Christmas with my father."

"I know", said Oliver, "And I understand why. But just in case you change your mind. A plus one is allowed."

As Quentin walked up to them, there was another knock on the door.

Laurel went to open it and this time, gasped at who stood in front of her.

Oliver turned to look at the visitor.

"M-Matt?!" she said in disbelief.

"Hi Laurel!" said Matt with a smile, "Can I come in?"

"Y-yes!, she said as she regained her composure, "S-sure."

"Thank you", he said as he walked in.

Oliver observed the man. He was blind and used a walking stick. He was good looking. But he seemed something else entirely.

"I was in the city working on a case", said Matt with a smile, "Thought I would catch up. It's been like-"

"4 years", said Laurel.

"Who's this?" asked Oliver.

"Matthew Murdock!" said Matt as he shook Oliver's hand.

Oliver said, "I am Oliver Queen."

"I know about you", said Matt.

"So who are you?" Oliver asked.

"I am a lawyer in New York", said Matt, "I know Laurel from law school."

"Yeah", said Laurel, "We met each other in law school."

"I've seen you before", said Quentin before his eyes widened in recognition, "You're the guy who defended that nutjob- Frank Castle."

"Yeah", said Laurel awkwardly, "I remember that too."

"Let's not talk about that", said Matt as his expression turned a little grim and the two Lances shut up, knowing that there was something sensitive about it.

Oliver observed that. This Matt seemed to be hiding a lot of pain behind that smile. Just like he did.

"So how are you?" he asked her.

"I am good", she said awkwardly, "I am good. Just waiting on some case files."

"Laurel Lance", said Matt with a smile, "Always trying to save the world."

Laurel blushed a little and Oliver looked between the two. They seemed more than friends.

"Well", said Matt, "It was good catching up with you."

As he started walking off, she said, "Matt!"

"What?" he asked as he turned back.

"Uh", she struggled to say, "Oliver just invited me to a Christmas party at Queen Mansion and he says that I'm allowed to bring a plus one. You want to come?"

"Sure!" he said with a smile, "What time?"

"7:00", she said, "Don't be late."

"Okay", said Matt as he walked off.

When he was out, Quentin asked her, "So was that your boyfriend from law school?"

"Uh…." said Laurel, "Yes!"

The awkward conversation between Matt and Laurel finally made sense to Oliver.

Laurel, on the other hand, wondered why she had invited her ex to her other ex's Christmas party.

* * *

Matt walked out and his smile faded. He was happy to see Laurel again and reconnect with her but he was not expecting to meet The Hood again.

He had heard Oliver's heartbeat clearly and knew that he was the Starling City Vigilante. He couldn't have imagined that in his wildest dreams. But then again, Tony Stark was Iron Man.

Matt decided not to do anything about that for now because Oliver had good intentions for the city. But the other archer needed to be stopped.

* * *

The Hood walked in an alley till he reached the warehouse whose address Felicity had given him. He slowly opened the door and walked inside. At the end of the room, a black arrow was sticking out of the floor.

As The Hood stared at it, the door behind him suddenly slammed shut. The Hood spun around, trying to reach for an arrow, but no one was there. As he looked around, he heard a sound resembling a short circuit.

He then saw a large tube with 6 smaller tubes around it. 3 of them were draining green liquid into it while the other 3 were draining red liquid. The liquid was rising towards a flame.

The Hood realized what that was and started running. He fired an explosive arrow at the door. As the device exploded, the arrow blasted the door open and The Hood jumped out while the room went up in flames. The Hood turned back and looked at it in frustration.

* * *

Oliver, now cleaned up and dressed in formal clothes looked around at Queen Manor where the party was going on.

Oliver walked up to Diggle and said, "I see the halls are decked."

"You okay?" Dig asked.

"I'll manage", Oliver assured, "Is everyone having a good time?"

"You sure you wanna do this man?" asked John, "Maybe now's not the best time for you to be Martha Stewart's elf."

"My family needs this party, Diggle", said Oliver firmly, "Which means that I need it."

He heard the door close behind him and saw Shane entering with flowers.

"Hey dude", said Shane casually, "Thea invited me. I hope that's cool."

As Oliver looked at the flowers, he said, "These are for your mom."

Oliver looked at John and whispered, "Smooth!"

Dig gave Shane a wry grin and said, "Good luck, kid."

Oliver walked into the sitting room where the party was going on.

"Oliver", said Moira happily as she stood with Walter and Thea.

"You guys look great", complemented Oliver, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas", said the three simultaneously though Thea sounded less enthusiastic.

"Let's get a holiday photo", suggested Oliver as he gestured to the photographer.

"I already sent out or Christmas cards, Oliver", said Moira.

"Mom, let's just get a picture for the 4 of us", said Oliver.

"Of course", said Moira pleasantly.

After their picture was taken, Shane walked up to them and said, "Excuse me, Mrs. Queen?"

As Moira looked at him, he gave her the flowers and said, "These are for you."

"Well, thank you", said Moira formally as she accepted them, "I'll-I'll go put this in the water."

Thea led Shane away.

"Is everything all right?" Walter asked Moira.

"You and I should talk alone", she said softly and walked away.

"Everything okay between the two of you?" he asked Walter.

"Yeah", said Walter with a formal smile as he patted Oliver's shoulder, "I'm sure it will work itself out."

As Walter walked off, Oliver saw Thea and Shane going off deeper into the house. He did not have a good feeling about that.

But then he saw Tommy coming.

"Hey man!" said Tommy as the two hugged.

"Merry Christmas!" said Tommy.

"Merry Christmas!" said Oliver.

Oliver then saw Laurel entering with Matt.

"Laurel", he said as he walked up to them.

"Merry Christmas!" the two said simultaneously to each other as they shared a brief hug.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Queen", said Matt as he shook his hand.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Murdock", said Oliver as he shook his.

"So", Oliver asked Tommy, "You know Matthew?"

"Yes", said Tommy, "Met him a few times while him and Laurel were dating."

"I think we're past that phase", said Laurel, "We're just friends right now."

"Yes", said Matt with a straight face.

"Well", said Oliver, "It was nice to meet you Mr. Murdock."

"You too Mr. Queen", said Matt with a smile.

As Oliver and Tommy walked off, Laurel said to him, "Everything all right?"

"Yes!" said Matt, "It's just that last time I was in such a party, it wasn't a pleasant experience."

"Well I assure you nothing wrong will happen in this one", said Laurel with a smile.

"If something does happen, I will sue you", said Matt with a chuckle.

"Careful there, Murdock", she said with a chuckle of her own.

* * *

Oliver heard loud music coming from Thea's room.

"Thea!" he said as he started opening the door, "It's Ollie. I've got something to tell you….."

He trailed off when he saw Thea putting her dress over her bra while Shane was putting on his shirt.

"Oliver!" Thea gasped in shock.

Giving Shane an 'if looks could kill' glare, he said firmly, "Hit the road."

Shane quickly grabbed his jacket and ran out past him while Thea asked him, "What are you doing?"

"Funny", said Oliver angrily, "I was going to ask you the same thing because there's a party going on downstairs that I threw for you."

"I told you, I didn't want a party", said Thea angrily, "But you didn't care because you came down with the holiday blues. I've been trying to get you to open up for months. All this party is doing is bringing back memories I've been trying to forget."

"Thea!" he said angrily, "Why would you want to forget?"

"No matter how fancy the party is you throw", she said angrily, "Things will never be the way they used to be in our family. Ever again."

The two glared at each other for a while.

"Oliver!" said Dig's voice from behind.

As Oliver turned to him, Thea walked away.

"What is it now?" asked Oliver in an angry tone.

John motioned for Oliver to follow him.

The two were then in Oliver's room.

"The archer's moved to the next level", said John as he picked up the remote, "He's taken hostages. This just hit the news."

He then switched on the TV and the two looked at what was happening with horrified expressions.

Several hostages were tied up on chairs. One of them was a woman with a fearful expression whose makeup had been ruined by her tears.

"Happy holidays, Starling City", she read from a paper as her voice trembled with fear, "For the past three months, this city has been laid siege by a vigilante. But the police have been unable to bring him to justice because they lack the will to do what justice demands. I will kill one hostage every hour in the name of this vigilante until he surrenders himself to my authority."

John switched off the TV and said, "The police are on the scene Oliver. You should let them handle this."

"Those people are there because of me", argued Oliver in a determined tone, "I have to end this."

"Oliver, this guy… this guy, he's very dangerous", warned John.

Oliver shot him a glare and snarled, "Diggle, there wasn't anything on that island that was twice as dangerous as this guy, and I survived there for 5 years."

Unbeknownst to them, Matt was lingering close to the hallway and had heard everything. He walked up to Laurel and said, "Sorry! I have to go."

"Where are you going?" she asked, "The party has just begun!"

"I am sorry!" he said again and kissed her on the cheek and then he walked out.

* * *

Nudocerdo and Quentin were arguing about how to enter the building where the hostages were being held.

Suddenly, a line was shot to the roof of the factory and The Hood rode down above the cops' heads. He jumped on the roof and jumped inside through a skylight, crouching near the hostages.

He used a fletchette to cut open their binds.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"I don't know", said the woman from the TV.

"It's going to be okay", he told them all, "Follow me."

As they walked out through the hallway, he said, "Get up on the roof."

As they walked up, the woman stopped and asked, "What about-"

"I'll handle him", he cut her off, "Move!"

She walked up too.

The Hood walked back down the hall. As he reached the end, he suddenly stopped. He turned around and saw the other archer standing at the other end.

"Thank you for coming", said the archer in a distorted voice, "After the warehouse, I knew I had to do something dramatic to get your attention."

"What do you want from me?" asked The Hood.

"What any archer wants", said the other one in a mocking tone, "To see who's better."

He reached for an arrow but The Hood beat him to it and fired. The archer leaned sideways to avoid and fired back.

The Hood managed to dodge it as it shattered a window behind him. The Hood moved around the corner, firing one last arrow. The other one fired 2 more arrows in quick succession and ran after him.

He then entered the room where the hostages had been kept. He looked around, arrow notched on his bow.

He looked at a shard of a broken glass on the floor and saw a reflection of The Hood up on the rafters, getting ready to fire.

He swiftly looked up and fired, disarming The Hood.

He fired again but The Hood moved away, dodging it. He jumped onto a light but this time, the archer's shot hit him on the upper thigh.

He shouted in pain and landed on a table. He rolled away as another shot whizzed past him. He picked up his bow and fired back but the archer dodged and disappeared into the shadows.

The Hood fired into the shadows, hoping to get him. He then notched another arrow, looking for his opponent.

Suddenly, the other archer came behind him and fired an arrow into his back. Just a second before it could hit him, a flying object deflected it away.

The object went to the raised hand of- Daredevil. It was his club.

The Hood turned around and looked at his rescuer.

"You?" said the other archer angrily, "What are you doing here?"

"You attacked me in my city", said Daredevil angrily as he moved towards him, "You tricked me into fighting him. I'm sure whatever you're planning involves me or Hell's Kitchen or both."

The archer tried to smack him with his bow but he dodged and hit him on the face with the club, making him stumble. The Hood then jumped next to him and gave the archer a flying kick, making him stagger back.

The archer recovered and fired 2 arrows at them both. They ducked as he angrily yelled, "First Hunt! Then Ravich! And now the two of you."

He tried to punch The Hood but Daredevil kicked him away. He ran to him but The Hood smacked him away with his bow.

"I know about The List", he revealed to The Hood, "And the man who authored it wants you dead!"

He threw a flashbang grenade on the ground and escaped.

As the two recovered, The Hood asked, "So was he the guy?"

"Yes!" confirmed Daredevil with a nod, "He's planning something bad."

"Thanks for the save", said The Hood.

"No problem", said Daredevil, "Oliver!"

The Hood gave him a shocked look.

"How?" he asked.

"Take off that hood and that grease does a poor job", said Daredevil.

"But how do you know it was me?" Oliver asked as he took off his hood.

"Let's just say I have some special enhanced features", said Daredevil, "They helped me discover who you were when I met you today."

"Today?" Oliver gasped as he realized something, "Matt?"

Matt cursed himself for his carelessness in his head.

Looking at Oliver, he said, "I know who you are. So I guess it's fair."

He took off his mask and Oliver looked at him.

"But you're blind!" he said incredulously.

"The accident that blinded me enhanced my other senses", revealed Matt, "Now I can use them for a lot of stuff."

"Oh!" said Oliver, taking it in before asking, "Do you know who he is?"

"No!" said Matt, "Because he has blocked his heartbeat somehow. Not the first person I have met who can do that. But tell me, what is the List?"

"Not your business!" growled Oliver angrily.

"This archer tried to kill me in my city and lured me here to fight you", snapped Matt, "I think everything related to the situation is my business as much as it is yours."

Oliver sighed angrily and said, "Before my father died, he gave me a list of all the people who he said were poisoning the city. I thought it was his. But this archer says otherwise."

"I thought your father drowned", said Matt.

"Now that is NOT your business!" said Oliver angrily.

"Fine!" said Matt, "So what are we going to do?"

"We?" asked Oliver, "Just because you saved me, it's a partnership?"

"I think this guy is planning something that involves both of our cities", said Matt, "He might even be having some allies. Only together can we stop him. Don't you want to stop him?"

Oliver sighed again and threw something at Matt which he caught. It was a cell phone.

"Don't try tracing it back", said Oliver, "If you need help, call me on that. I can call you too."

"Fair enough" said Matt as Oliver fired another line and rode away.

* * *

Malcolm walked towards the workbench which held several rows of arrows. Standing near it, he ripped off his mask and hood, giving a slightly angry expression. Daredevil and The Hood together would be a huge obstacle on his side. He realized that his plan had failed now.

He stood quietly, thinking of something else.

* * *

Laurel sat in her house when her phone rang. It was Matt.

"Hello!" she said as she picked up.

"Hello, Laurel!" said Matt as he spoke to her, "I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for leaving like that."

"It's okay", said Laurel sincerely, "It's just that….. it's been 4 years so…. I just wanted to catch up more."

"Well", said Matt, "I am going to be here for a while."

"That's good", said Laurel.

"Yeah", said Matt, "But right now, I'm tired. Good night, Laurel."

"Good night, Matt."

* * *

Oliver and John stood together in the lair.

"So Daredevil is after him now, huh?" said John.

Oliver nodded in response and said, "While I still can't bring myself to work with him, I think he has a point. The archer tried to kill him while making him believe it was me. So whatever he has planned, it somehow involves both of our cities."

"We'll have to find out", said John.

"We might have a bigger problem", said Oliver, "The other archer told me that somebody compiled the list. I always assumed it was my father's. But what if it wasn't?"

"What do you mean?" asked Dig.

"I think there's someone else out there", said Oliver, "Someone who's more of a danger than the archer."

He then vowed, "And with or without Daredevil's help, I'm going to take him down."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The longest chapter of this story finished. Now most of the chapters will be around this length or shorter or a little longer.
> 
> I hope I'm doing a good job with Matt and Oliver's dynamic. I think it is handled far better here than in 'The Devil of Star City' and most of it is in character for them. And I think every serious vigilante can get a little careless once in a while.
> 
> I also hope the Matt/Laurel thing is fine. I can't just make it a romance right away. So these are baby steps.
> 
> I know I said that I won't be including the wider MCU or Arrowverse earlier but now I have reconsidered it which is why Tony Stark got mentioned. But I am not going to follow any of their timelines now. The MCU timeline here is far different from the actual MCU because that's the best way to combine both the universes. I will also use some elements from Marvel and DC Comics to make this is a good shared universe.
> 
> BTW, right now, my exams in college had ended so I had a lot of time but now I have started studying again so the updates won't be regular. But I will still try to update once or twice a week. Just needed to let you know.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	5. A firefly, ice cream and a deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daredevil and The Hood officially team up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil or Arrow
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.

A trio of thugs surrounded a woman to mug her, all 3 holding knives.

"Please!" said the woman tearfully, "Don't hurt me!"

"We just want your money", said one of them before eyeing her with lust and saying, "And something else."

They closed in on her as she tried to call for help. Suddenly, a figure landed in front of her, shielding her from the three.

It was Daredevil.

The thugs pushed their wonder at Daredevil being in Starling City at the back of their heads and attacked. He grabbed one of their wrists and kicked him in the stomach before ducking to avoid another and flip kicking him away so hard that he was knocked out.

The previous one recovered only to receive a powerful kick to the face that shattered most of his bones. The third one ran away in fear but Daredevil threw his club and knocked him out.

The woman looked at him in a mixture of awe and fear. Like her attackers, she wondered what Daredevil was doing in Starling City.

Daredevil though, did not pay her any attention and jumped to a set of stairs and then to a rooftop, scanning any more threats in the night.

He then smelt smoke coming from a direction and heard people shouting. He could also hear something being sprayed from a noose.

A fire had broken out.

Daredevil started jumping to its direction.

* * *

A fireman called Danny was inside the building, cleaning the upper level.

He spotted another fireman.

"Hey you over there", he said to him, "I can use some help. I got a hot spot."

The other fireman walked over and then unhooked the spray nozzle. He then started spraying at Danny but before it could reach him, the fireman was knocked away by a flying object.

Danny had narrowly avoided getting sprayed and looked at the other fireman in shock.

"What the hell?" he asked him.

But both of their attention was occupied by the new arrival there- Daredevil. He caught his club on return.

"Get out of here", he said to Danny, "Report this to your chief."

Danny nodded and ran out.

"Why the hell did you try to kill your co-worker?" he asked him.

The fireman pulled out an axe and rushed Daredevil. He tried to take off Daredevil's head with it but he ducked and side-stepped to avoid a downward strike. He struck the man on the face with his club and his helmet came off, revealing a badly scarred man.

With his senses, Daredevil could detect the charred flesh.

"What happened to you?" he asked him.

"They left me to die", replied the fireman.

"But you don't have to do this", said Daredevil.

"Too late", said the fireman, "I'm already gone."

He pulled out a lighter to try to kill himself but Daredevil rushed him and grabbed his hands. He kneed him in the stomach and he fell down as Daredevil snatched his lighter. He knocked him out with a punch and then lifted him over his shoulder.

He then ran to a lower floor and jumped out from a window. He put the fireman on the ground as the Chief and Danny looked at him.

"Hand him over to the police", said Daredevil and then jumped onto a roof, disappearing into the night.

* * *

Oliver watched the news about the capture of the rogue fireman in the lair.

"Looks like you're no longer this city's favorite vigilante", commented Dig.

"Well", said Oliver, "As long as this guy does not overstep, I won't do anything about him being around."

"Have the two of you talked after that incident with the other archer?" asked John.

"Yeah", said Oliver, "Once."

"So did he find anything?" asked John.

"Nope", said Oliver, "But we finally managed to agree on something."

"What?" asked Dig.

"If some big crime is happening somewhere in the city", said Oliver, "The two of us will work together."

"I think this guy is trying to help, Oliver", said John, "Maybe instead of these temporary team-ups, you should ask him to join us."

"John!" said Oliver in annoyance, "We barely know him. And he has his own city to protect."

"Then why is he here?" asked John.

"Because he thinks whatever the other archer has planned involves both of our cities", said Oliver, "And he might be right."

"I was saying that because he has been a vigilante for two years", said John, "He even stopped a crime-lord like Wilson Fisk. We could use his help. Who is he anyway?"

"Not my secret to tell", said Oliver, "And I still don't trust him enough. The feeling's mutual."

Oliver walked off while John stood in the lair, wondering if Oliver would ask him for help sometime or if he would ask Oliver.

* * *

There was a knock on the door and Laurel opened it.

"Matt!" she said as Matt smiled and said, "Hi!"

"Hi!" she said, "To what do I owe this visit?"

"The fact that I did not last in the party for long", said Matt, "And I did not come empty-handed."

He then lifted out a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

"Ice cream!" she said with a smile.

"Remember the days we used to eat them together after lectures?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah!" said Laurel, "Come in."

Later, the two were eating ice cream together.

"Remember that day we went out for the first time?" she asked, recalling fond memories.

"Yeah!" said Matt, "Foggy always shipped us, didn't he?"

"He was worse than a shipper on a soap opera", she said with a fond smile.

"He called you over and left us alone", Matt recalled.

"And like you, I also wanted a quieter place", remembered Laurel.

But then Matt's expression turned a little grim. He seemed sad and- lonely.

"What happened, Matt?" she asked, concerned.

"Nothing", he lied.

"We may not be dating now", she said, "But you can still talk to me."

"Well, it's just that", Matt tried to say, "Foggy, he….. uh…. He left."

"What?" Laurel asked, shock clear in her eyes.

"Yeah", said Matt, "We had a huge disagreement during that thing with Frank Castle."

"I'm so sorry", she said sincerely with some emotion in her voice. The two had been such close friends in college. She could never have imagined that Foggy would leave him.

"Us losing the case was the last straw", said Matt, "But at least he got a job with Jeri Hogarth."

"Jeri Hogarth?!" asked Laurel with widened eyes, "As in 'the Jeri Hogarth?'"

"Yes!" said Matt, "Her. I think he is good there."

"Well", said Laurel, "I hope he found what he was looking for. What about you?"

Matt had no response to that.

* * *

A bunch of men were loading up guns in a truck. The driver and his companion were already seated on the front seat.

Suddenly, an arrow hit one of them and he was down. Another was hit and he fell down too.

"Go!" one of them urged the truck driver, "Get out of here!"

The driver quickly started the accelerator and drove off while The Hood landed among the remaining 4 thugs.

He easily knocked one out with his bow and then disarmed another with a fletchette. Before the other two could fire, he swept one's feet from under him and getting up, smacked the last man's hand with his bow, disarming him. He then knocked him out with a punch to the face.

He then turned to the one he had earlier disarmed and fired an arrow into his shoulder.

The man screamed in pain.

"What are you planning to do with the weapons?" he asked him, "Answer me!"

The man screamed in pain but didn't answer.

"The only thing more painful than an arrow going in", growled The Hood, "Is an arrow being pulled out."

He then started pulling it out and the thug screamed again.

"We're going to sell them!" he blurted out, "To the Bertinelli's."

"Where?" he asked, "Answer me!"

"Near the docks!" he said, "But you can't stop them. The Bertinellis are bringing an army."

The Hood knocked him out and followed the direction the truck had been driven to.

* * *

Matt and Laurel were still talking when Matt's phone rang.

It was the phone Oliver had given him.

"Excuse me!" he said which Laurel did.

Matt walked to a corner and received the call.

"Yes!" he said.

"Where are you?" The Hood asked.

"At Laurel's house", Matt answered, "Why?"

"How fast can you get to the docks?" asked The Hood.

"About 5 minutes", said Matt with a smirk, "Why?"

"A weapon deal is taking place", said The Hood, "And the Bertinellis have brought an army."

* * *

The Hood watched the exchange from above one of the large crates when he heard someone come behind him. It was Daredevil.

"So how many are there?" he asked him.

"Around fifty men with the Bertinellis", said The Hood, "And around ten with the dealers."

"This is the M4", said the leader of the dealers, "The US army loves to go to war with it."

Daredevil recognized the lead dealer's voice as well as his heartbeat.

"Turk!" he muttered angrily.

"Pardon!" asked The Hood.

"Turk Barrett! A lowlife from Hell's Kitchen", said Daredevil, "I caught him a few times."

"So here's the plan", said The Hood and started explaining.

* * *

The Bertinellis were still dealing with Turk when an arrow landed in their midst. Before they could do anything, it exploded, sending five of them down.

They did not notice that another one had embedded itself near them. It's explosion got five more.

They all looked around, firing into the air with their guns. They heard the sound of something metal hitting one of the boxes. Five of the men went to investigate.

They split up. One of them was roaming around with his gun near an open crate when he was suddenly pulled into it and knocked out with a punch from a hand wearing a red suit.

As two more came around, one of them looked up and gestured to the other. As the other one looked up, Daredevil leapt on top of him and knocked him out while the other one ran in fear. But soon, Daredevil leapt on him too and knocked him out by smashing his head on the ground. He heard a gun click behind him and threw his club at the attacker's head, knocking him out.

The last one was looking around when he heard something from a corner and fired. He fired at another corner and angrily yelled, "WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Here!"

The man gasped in horror as he turned around but was muffled as Daredevil put his hand on his mouth before getting behind him and tightening the grip until he was unconscious.

The others were still looking around with their guns when a third explosive arrow landed in their midst and exploded, this time getting ten of them.

One of them was hit by a club on the head and was knocked out. Daredevil caught it on his return and rolled away into the shadows while three of the men were downed by rapid arrows from The Hood. The Billy Club emerged from the shadows again, this time hitting a crate and rebounding. On it's return path, it hit one man and rebounding from him, hit another before going back to Daredevil's hand.

The leader of the Bertinellis was struck down by an arrow and the club knocked another one of them out.

The Hood then landed in their midst and with a spin-motion kick, got one before spinning around and hitting another with his bow, getting him too.

One of them aimed at him but was knocked out by Daredevil's club who caught it and jumped on another, rolling him to the ground and knocking away another who was nearing him. He then kicked the one he had rolled down on the face.

The Hood rapidly let loose two arrows in quick succession and got two more men. Daredevil flipped to avoid some gunshots and then disarmed the man with a flip before sweeping his feet from under him and knocking him out with a smack of his club. Turning around, he broke another thug's kneecap with his club and he was down.

The Hood ran to the corner to avoid some gunshots and fired his last explosive arrow, getting 7 more. Daredevil grabbed the neck of one with the cable between his sticks and rolling near him, managed to throw him off into two more. He crashed into them and was knocked out while the other two tried to get up. Both of them were knocked out when Daredevil kicked them on the face.

The Hood then downed another with a standard arrow and then smacked a thug away with his bow while Daredevil knocked one out with a punch and doing a spin motion, knocked out another behind him. The Hood gave another one a flying kick while Daredevil flip kicked the other and both were knocked out. The last one was simple knocked out by a punch from The Hood.

Now only Turk was left. He was cowering in fear at the sight of both the fearsome vigilantes.

"Hey man!" he tried to talk casually to Daredevil.

"Turk!" said Daredevil, "Getting back to old habits."

"It's just business man", said Turk, trying to defend himself, "Nothing personal."

Daredevil knocked him out with a punch and said, "It's just business."

He looked at The Hood who nodded.

"Thanks for the assist", said The Hood.

"No problem", said Daredevil, "I think the police should round up the remaining ones."

"Yeah", said The Hood.

The two nodded at each other and walked away into the night.

The Hood now trusted Daredevil more as he had helped him in this without any hesitation while Daredevil too trusted him a little more as he had made the right call when he needed help.

* * *

Malcolm sat alone in his office and frowned. More and more people were seeing Daredevil in Starling City. The Gnuccis were bound to find out soon.

But then he smiled on remembering something. If the need arose, he could use some really killer method to 'persuade' them and they won't dare defy him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit. A little bit of filler but I hope I am doing a decent job with the Matt/Oliver dynamic and the Matt/Laurel thing.
> 
> The two needed to team up properly for once. I hope you liked seeing Turk. What has Malcolm remembered I wonder?
> 
> I think with Daredevil around, I could save Joanna's brother. Honestly, if Oliver did not feel freaked out after his experience with Merlyn, he would have handled him easily too.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	6. Trust but Verify

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daredevil and The Hood target Ted Gaynor for robbing armored trucks but come into conflict with John Diggle for going after his old commanding officer. Thea makes a rash decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil or Arrow
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.

An armored truck drove in the dark night. Two men were arguing over what kind of music to listen to.

"Whatever you're listening to, it ain't music", said the older man as he switched the rap to jazz, "There ought to be a law."

"Well, there's not", said the younger man and switched it back to rap. The older one glared at him but he then yelled, "Watch it!"

In front of the truck stood a man wearing a uniform with a tactical vest and carried an M-32 grenade launcher. The driver hit the brakes and tried to back up but a van stopped behind them and stopped them. Two men came out of them van and pointed their guns at the drivers.

The one with the launcher fired a smoke grenade through the windshield into the vehicle. The smoke was too much for them to handle and they scrambled out of the truck, only to be gunned down by the gunmen. One of them took the driver's keys, opened the door, took some money bags and then they were all gone.

A while later, Daredevil arrived there. He knelt down to check the pulses of the drivers but they were dead. He wondered who had done this.

* * *

Thea pestered Oliver about her birthday present but it was made clear that she won't get a car. As Moira and Thea went off, Tommy arrived.

"How's she holding up?" asked Tommy, referring to Moira as Walter had gone missing during Christmas and hadn't been found.

"Oh, she's okay", Oliver replied before adding, "Thea thinks she's actually a little bit too okay."

"What do you mean?" asked Tommy as Oliver helped him to some breakfast.

"Just behaving erratically", said Oliver, "Shut-in one minute, running the company the next."

"Well, her husband is missing and presumed who-knows-what", pointed out Tommy, "If anyone had an excuse to be erratic, it's your mom."

"That's what I told Thea", said Oliver. The two then saw Captain Lance speaking on the news.

"The department has got the same comment about this heist as it did the other two. No comment", he said and walked off.

The anchor appeared on the TV and said, "The SCPD may not be willing to go on the record, but traffic cameras got the entire heist in this exclusive. The $2.3 heist is like a scene out of the movies."

Oliver and Tommy watched footage of the scene on their TV. Oliver's phone rang. He then realized it was his 'business' phone.

He walked into a corner and picked up.

"Yes!" he said.

"You heard about the heist on the armored truck?" asked Matt from the other side.

"It's playing on the news right now", said Oliver.

"Well, it's the third in 2 weeks", said Matt urgently, "We need to do something about this."

"Well", said Oliver, "I haven't found out anything about it yet. But it looks like the work of army men to me."

"Rogue army men", muttered Matt, "Nothing new."

Frank Castle came to his mind on thinking that. But no matter how rogue Frank Castle was, his reason was to kill every single scum in the city and protect the innocent while these men were just killing innocents to rob them.

"I will tell you if I find out something", said Oliver.

"All right", said Matt as the call was cut.

* * *

Later, Oliver was doing pushups in the lair when Diggle arrived.

"With all the guys working up top", said John, "You might want to think about a side entrance for your, uh, Arrowcave."

"Just put one in", said Oliver as he rose, "South alleyeay. Something I want to show you."

Oliver walked over to the computers as Diggle joked, "Finally getting into online dating and you need help with your profile."

"Not exactly", said Oliver, "But there is somebody I'd like to meet."

Dig looked at screen which showed the attack on the truck.

"Yeah, I read about it", he commented, "This is the third truck to be hit this month."

"I saw it on the news this morning. I couldn't figure out why this seemed so familiar. Then I remembered this", said Oliver while wearing his shirt as he pulled up another video, this time of an armored truck being taken down by three Marines.

"Kandahar, '09, when the Marines took out a Taliban transport vehicle", Oliver supplied Dig.

"Yeah", John noted, "Well, there's a reason why it looks so similar. These guys are running the same swarming technique. Where'd you find this?"

'i was researching someone", said Oliver as he pulled up a personal file, "Bodyguard who works for a private securityt firm. Blackhawk squad protection group. His name is Ted Gaynor."

John looked at the image, stunned, before regaining composure and replying, "Oliver, Ted Gaynor was my commanding officer on my first tour in Afghanisthan."

Oliver looked at him sympathetically and said, "Dig, I'm sorry. But Gaynor's on the list."

"Gaynor's a few hundred thousand dollars short of making your list", John argued.

"Well, I never said it was just one-percentaers, did I?" Oliver asked rhetorically.

"Oliver, this guy saved my life", Dig continued arguing. Received a commendation for it. I don't care what your book says. He's not a stick-up man."

"You haven't known him in a long time, Diggle", pointed out Oliver.

"We both kept in contact with each other since we got stateside", revealed John, "Six months ago, he even offered me a job at BlackHawk. Now trust me, you don't know this man like I do."

"I know in Afghanisthan his training specialty was M-32 multiple grenade launchers, the exact same weapon used in these heists and not exactly something you find at your local sporting goods store", replied Oliver in a harsh tone.

"Two months ago, we found out that this wasn't even your father's book", Dig pointed out, "That it was written by whoever hired the other archer. Daredevil thought you were the one trying to kill him before he found out the truth from you. Doesn't that kind of beg the question what else you both can be wrong about?

"I could be wrong. Daredevil could be wrong", replied Oliver with a hardened expression, "But the list isn't."

He then said, "Now, I'm gonna have a pointed conversation withg Mr. Gaynor tonight. I will call Daredevil too as he knows when someone is lying and then we'll see what he has to say about it. I understand if you want to take the week off."

"Well, thank you", said Dig as he then looked at Gaynor's picture, "Sir."

* * *

The Hood entered the BlackHawk Squad Protection Building undetected. Two guards were walking around casually.

One of them was hit by an arrow on the back and was down. Before the other one could react, he was taken down too.

The Hood walked up the stairs and past the guards. He spotted Gaynor looking at a USB drive near a computer. As Gaynor turned to face him, he kicked him on the chest and he was down.

"Ted Gaynor, we're gonna have a conversation", said The Hood threateningly as Gaynor looked at him in fear, "You make a move, go for a gun, anything, and it will end badly for you."

He then heard a click of a gun behind him. He turned around, notching an arrow but stopped the second he saw who it was.

"Put the bow down", said John angrily, not taking his gun off of him.

The two stood still for a while, neither one making a move. Suddenly, John was grabbed from the back and flipped to the ground. It was Daredevil.

Daredevil kicked the gun out of his hands but before he could knock him out, The Hood said, "Wait!"

As Daredevil looked at him, The Hood said, "He needs to know the truth about his commanding officer."

Daredevil nodded and the two moved towards Gaynor.

The Hood pointed his arrow at Ted and growled, "So tell us, are you robbing armored trucks?"

"What?" asked Gaynor incedulously, "I know about it but me robbing it? That's ridiculous."

"Liar", muttered Daredevil and smashed his kneecap with his foot which made him scream in pain.

Oliver had not told John Daredevil's identity but he had told him about his powers. Unlike Oliver, Daredevil did not know anything about the list so if he said Gaynor was lying, maybe there was some truth in his statement.

"Tell us the truth", growled The Hood.

When he didn't respond, The Hood released the arrow in his shoulder and he screamed in pain.

"I don't know anything!" Gaynor cried out frantically.

"You can either tell the truth and end this or you can be in unimaginable pain for the entire night", said Daredevil and Gaynor gave him a defiant look.

"Oh", said Daredevil in a mocking tone, "You're gonna try to look tough with your broken kneecap and that arrow in your shoulder?"

But Ted didn't back down and got a punch on the face from Daredevil, getting a broken nose.

"What do you chose?" asked The Hood, "Confession or pain."

Daredevil put his foot on the smashed kneecap and Gaynor again screamed.

"Yes!" he blurted out, not being able to take it anymore, "We rob the trucks."

"No", said John in disbelief with a shaking voice, "Ted, how could you?"

"It's a mission, John!" yelled Ted like a delusional psychopath, "Over there, I was a god on the battlefield. Over here, I am a nanny with Tasers."

"You're no God", growled Daredevil.

"So just because you hate bodyguarding one-percenters, you're gonna rob and kill innocent people?" asked John angrily with his voice still shaking, "What kind of logic is that?"

"The logic of a psychopath", said Daredevil.

"What evidence do you have on yourself?" growled The Hood.

Gaynor pointed at the USB drive and The Hood took it.

"If this isn't it", said The Hood, "You're going to suffer something worse than this."

Daredevil heard someone approaching them. Turning around, hr threw his club, disarming another soldier who had entered.

"Knox", Diggle hissed at the soldier angirly.

"Get away from him", Knox said to the vigilantes as he pulled out his K-Bar and ASP.

Before he could do anything, The Hood fired and the arrow went through his heart, killing him.

Daredevil, The Hood and John walked away, leaving behind a badly wounded Ted and the dead Knox.

* * *

"I can't believe he did that", said John, still in disbelief, "I knew him so well."

"People change, John", Oliver counselled him, "Sometimes for the better. Sometimes for the worse."

"He thought of it as a mission", said John, "He had a taste of power, and it wasn't enough."

"I'm sorry John", said Oliver sincerely.

"No, Oliver", said John sincerely with remorse in his eyes, "I am sorry. I have trusted you this far. You haven't lead me astray. I should have trusted you on this one."

"I understand why you didn't, John", said Oliver, "But do not get in my way again. I could have shot you out of instinct."

Dig paled on realizing how close to death he had come.

"Say my thanks to Daredevil", said John to Oliver, "For opening my eyes."

Oliver nodded and John asked, "So what are you gonna do about the drive?"

"Felicity will get to the directory", said Oliver, "And then I can hand it over to the police."

* * *

Later, Thea's birthday party was in full swing. Oliver got a call from Felicity who told him she had got to the directory so he left the party.

As Thea was dancing, two of her friends approached. She hugged them as they wished her.

She thanked them and one of them said, "We've a special birthday gift for you."

She handed Thea a small packet with several green and black pills inside.

"It's called Vertigo", said the other one, "It's supposed to make you feel all floaty."

Thea took the packet nervously and said, "Um, if my mom caught me with this, I wouldn't make it to 19."

She put it in the bust of her dress and said, "I'm gonna go put it upstairs, and then I'm gonna come right back down."

On the second floor balcony, Moira watched the party as Malcolm walked up to her.

"Moira, I have a little something for you", he said as he pulled out his phone and turned it on. It was a picture of a dishevelled Walter.

"Walter", Moira said staring at the picture as it was the first time in two months she had seen anything of her husband.

Malcolm put the phone back and said, "I did as you asked."

Putting a hand on her lower back, he said, "Now it's your turn to do as I asked."

"I'll take care of it", said Moira.

"Thank you, Moira", said Malcolm as he removed his hand and walked away.

Moira sighed and turned to see- Thea.

"At my party", hissed Thea emotionally, "Right here in front of me?"

Moira tried to explain, "No Thea, youy don't understand-"

"Walter hasn't been gone two months and you're already cheating on him", Thea angrily cut her off, "Just like you did on dad."

"Thea, I never cheated", Moira lied, trying to reach out to her daughter.

Thea pulled away and said, "Like I would believe anything you say. I wish it had been you on that boat."

Thea walked away, leaving a heartbroken Moira behind. She went down to the party, trying to smile to assure her guests that she was enjoying herself, but she failed.

She reached into the bust of her dress and pulled out the small packet along with her car key. Making a rash decision, she walked out of the party.

* * *

Later, on a deserted road, Thea was driving her Mercedes poorly while listening to music. Suddenly, another car came in front of her, blaring a horn.

"Shit!" she cursed as she lost control and rammed the car into a tree, losing consciousness.

* * *

At Starling City General, Oliver and Moira made their way to Thea's room. She lay on the bed in a hospital gown, a bruise and some bandages on her forehead.

"Oh, Thea", said Moira sadly as she walked up to her bed, "Are you okay?"

Thea sighed, "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I'm just headachy. Really."

She then asked a question she was terrified to ask, "The car. Is- is it-"

"The car isn't important right now", Oliver cut her off.

"Do you remember what happened, sweetheart?" Moira asked her.

Thea scoffed and said to her mother in a disgusted tone, "You go away."

"Thea, please", Moira pleaded.

"I said I'm fine", snarled her daughter and turned away from her mother who looked heartbroken.

* * *

Some days later, Oliver was leaving with a discharged Thea.

"She promised me she's not cheating on Walter", Oliver said to her.

Thea scoffed, "Like I would trust anything that woman says."

"Miss Queen!" said a patrolman as he walked up to her with another patrolman.

"Thea Queen?" he asked.

"Is there a problem?" asked Oliver.

"We received a call from your doctor", said the patrolman to Thea, "In the event of a vehicular accident, they're required to result of the driver's tox screen."

As Thea sighed, the patrolman said, "Miss Queen tested positive for a narcotic called Vertigo."

Oliver stared at his sister and asked incredulously, "The drug they're using in the Glades?"

The other patrolman handcuffed Thea and the first one declared, "Thea Queen, you're under arrest for driving under the influence of narcotics."

The cops lead her away while Oliver looked on in shock.

* * *

Matt was quietly drinking in a bar in appropriate amounts as he was not the type of person who drowned his sorrows with alcohol. He was just drinking to pass time.

His phone rang. Once again, the one Oliver had given him.

"Yes", he said as he picked it up.

"I need your help", said Oliver desperately from the other side, "Please!"

"What happened?" asked Matt, sensing the worry in Oliver's voice, "What do you need me to do?"

"I do not need Daredevil right now", said Oliver, 'I need Matt Murdock. You defended Frank Castle and you would have won had he not started ranting like a madman. Now I want your help to defend someone."

"Who?" Matt asked.

"My sister."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Matt and Daredevil will both have a major role next chapter. His presence really shortens the episodes now. But the next two won't be shortened. Because while Matt is a great lawyer, even he can't defend someone from a judge who wants to make an example out of the defendant for his own purposes.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	7. Murdock defends Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt tries to defend Thea but she makes it difficult. Along with Oliver, Matt tries to capture The Count.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil or Arrow
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.
> 
> Thank you to Phillipe363 for letting me use the title of his Daredevil/Arrow crossover for this chapter. The difference is that here, Murdock defends the younger Queen.

A dealer ran through the docks in fear. He started climbing up a catwalk. He had one hand on it when his leather jacket was pierced by an arrow and he ended up hanging on it. The Hood stood there in front of him.

"Oh, come on man!" he shouted, "I'm just trying to make an honest living!"

"There's nothing honest about what you do!" retorted The Hood, "Who supplies you with Vertigo? Tell me now and you live."

"Please!" he begged, "They'll kill me."

"Whoever you fear?" said The Hood as he notched an arrow, "Fear me more."

"Okay, okay", the man gave in, "We call him The Count., that's all I know! I swear to God!"

He closed his eyes, waiting for death but nothing happened. When he opened them, The Hood was gone.

"Hey!" he yelled, "Get me down from here!"

* * *

"Found what you were looking for?" asked Dig as Oliver walked back in.

"Took down three Vertigo pushers tonight, Diggle", said Oliver as he walked to the computer, "Last one finally knew a name, The Count."

"The Count? That's worse than The Hood", Dig quipped before saying, "You're not going back out there."

"I'm not done for the night", said Oliver, "Whoever this Count is, he has a lot of blood on his hands, and it is long past time he started paying."

"Well, slow down. I think you're missing the point here", Dig said.

"What?" asked Oliver and when Dig gave him a look, he sighed, "Thea."

"Her hearing's in a few hours", said John, "You think she cares more about some drug lord getting his just desserts, or you being by her side when she needs you the most?"

Oliver realized he had a point and nodded.

* * *

At Queen Manor, Thea was trying to make herself presentable for the hearing.

"Hey, we should get going", he said to her before quipping, "Judges don't appreciate the value in being fashionably late."

"Got any other tips?" she asked after a chuckle.

"Let Mr. Murdock do the talking", said Oliver as he stood by her, "They'll give you a pad and paper but do not play tic-tac-toe. Judges don't appreciate that either."

Thea sighed and he gave her an encouraging smile saying, "Come on, Speedy."

"I know, I know", she said, "I keep on trying to get up and go, but I just don't. I wish dad were here."

"I'm here", said Oliver in a soothing tone.

Moira arrived and said, "We should leave now, Thea."

As Thea walked ahead of them towards the car, Moira asked Oliver with worry and concern in her voice, "Oliver! Are you sure about this Matthew Murdock?"

"Yes", he said, "Why? Because he's blind?"

"No", said Moira, "But because of the Frank Castle thing."

"I don't think the jury is going to say much about that", said Oliver, "It's not related to this case."

* * *

Outside the courthouse, all the reporters were swarming around the Queens, shouting questions to Thea.

"Ms Queen!"

"Just one comment!"

"Thea, are you going into rehab?"

"Miss Queen, are you being expelled from Balliol Prep?"

Thea was very nervous and felt harassed. Oliver grabbed her hand in support. He shielded her from the reporters till they reached the courthouse.

Later, the pre-trial began.

"Docket ending 1-10-5-6, People vs. Thea Dearden Queen", the balliff read out, "Possession of a controlled substance, driving under the influence of a controlled substance."

The balliff handed over the trial sheet to the judge who read it.

"Counselors, I understand you've reached a plea agreement", said Judge Brackett.

Next to Thea sat Matt Murdock. He rose up from his seat and said, "Yes, Your Honor, we have. Given that my client- young Thea Dearden Queen, is a juvenile here, the people have generously agreed to probation."

"Juvenile?" asked Brackett as he looked at the sheet, "It says right here she's 18."

"She is 18 now, Your Honor", Matt explained, "But at the time of arrest, she was still 2 days shy of her 18th birthday. Ms. Queen has no priors."

"Well, just because Ms. Queen's family sweeps her priors under the rug, doesn't mean they don't exist", Brackett said harshly.

He then said to Matt, "You get your client off", he then turned to the prosecutors and said, "And you help your boss avoid dealing with the drug that's sweeping across our city like the plague. Everyone wins, except us, the people of Starling City."

During this time, Laurel walked in and her and Oliver exchanged a nod.

Matt tried to argue, "With all due respect, Your Honor-"

"Ms. Queen, like it or not, you're now the poster child for this menace", Brackett cut him off and stated to Thea, "Maybe if people see that the Queen family can't get away with using Vertigo, they'll think twice before using it themselves. The plea arrangement is denied."

Just before he could bang his gavel, Matt said, "With all due respect, Your Honor, this courthouse is about imparting swift and impartial justice, not about making any examples out of people who made rash decisions due to their inability to understand what they're doing."

Even though Matt was blind, the judge felt like he was being subjected to an intense gaze from the man. Laurel looked at Matt proudly for that statement while Oliver and Moira too seemed to have respect for him in their eyes.

Brackett regained composure and glaring at Matt said, "Mr. Murdock, I have been a judge since you were a freshman at law school so believe it or not, I know more about justice than you can fathom."

He then banged his gavel and said, "The case will proceed to trial."

Matt clutched his stick in anger. This judge was trying to use the youngest Queen as a stepping stone for re-election. Probably so he could stay in office. Corrupt, like most of the system, even though this was a different kind of corruption.

Thea looked back at Oliver in fear while everyone whispered to each other.

* * *

"They can't do this", said Moira as she entered Queen Manor with Oliver, Thea and Matt, "That man cannot send my daughter to prison."

"He is obviously using her as for re-election", said Matt, "But no one will say a thing because of two reasons- he's a judge and this city hates its rich people."

"What are our options?" Oliver asked.

"An interlocutory appeal", Matt said, "But trial judges have discretion to reject plea arguments. I think you might want to prepare for the possibility that this isn't going to go our way."

Thea looked at him in shock while he said, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Queen, I'll get to work on the appeal."

Looking at Oliver, he said, "Mr. Queen, a word please."

Oliver followed him to a corner.

"What?" asked Oliver.

"I know you're looking for their dealer", said Matt, "I think catching him is the only thing that can save her."

"Well, so much for the man who defended Frank Castle", said Moira which Matt heard and looked at her.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Murdock", she apologized but he said, "It's fine, Mrs. Queen. I understand your reaction."

Oliver put a comforting arm on Thea's shoulder and Moira said, "Thea, we will handle this, I promise."

Thea scoffed and said sarcastically, "Like you promised Walter you'd always stay faithful to him? I feel better already."

"That's enough!" Moira shouted.

"Don't worry", said Thea in a disgusted tone, "Sounds like you won't have to be putting up with me much longer."

Before she could walk away, Matt said, "Ms. Queen, this is no joke. If this doesn't go the way we want, you will be in prison. Do you hear me?"

"Yes I do, Mr. Murdock", she said angrily, "From what I've heard, your clients escape prison."

"Thea!" Oliver said in an angry and annoyed tone.

"Ms. Queen, you are not Frank Castle", said Matt, "You do not strike fear into the hearts of criminals. Please, understand the seriousness of the situation."

"You took drugs, you drove, you could have killed someone, or yourself", Moira scolded her.

"I know", said Oliver in a firm tone, "Thea, I will support you, but you need to cooperate. Or you can bid farewell to all of this. And this attitude is the cause for downfall."

"All that judge wants is to make an example out of someone", said Moira, "But why her?"

"Because she is rich", said Matt, "I am going to work on the appeal."

He walked out while Oliver said, "I have to do something."

He then walked out while Thea went to her room. Moira sat alone.

* * *

Oliver walked into the Vice's squad room in SCPD.

"Hi", he said to a patrolman, "I'm looking for Detective Hall. I was told he works in Vice."

"Oliver?"

He then looked the attractive cop who had called out his name.

"McKenna Hall", he said in surprise.

"Hi", she said, looking equally surprised.

"Here I was expecting a middle aged guy in a bad suit", Oliver joked, "And I got McKenna Hall."

"I live to surprise", she said to him as the two hugged each other.

"Well, I remember. What was that club you got us kicked out of?" he asked, "The Club Deville?"

"Okay, in my defense, there was no sign that specifically said that you had to keep your clothes on", said McKenna with a laugh.

"So a cop?" said Oliver, "I guess you're not hitting the party circuit anymore."

"Well, I still go to the raves", said McKenna, "I just go undercover now. And I have to dress more appropriately to hide my badge and gun."

"Right", said Oliver.

"So what do you need with a vice cop, Oliver?" she asked him.

"Vertigo", he simply said as his smile vanished.

"Right", she said, "I saw your sister on TV. I'm sorry."

As they walked together, Oliver said, "The judge is trying to make an example of her. So I was thinking, if you could find the person responsible for selling the drugs, it might take some heat off Thea."

"Easier said than done", said Hall.

"Did some digging and came up with a name", said Oliver, "Um, The Count?"

McKenna looked at him for a moment and said, "Oliver, we've known about The Count for months."

"Oh", said Oliver in a disappointed tone.

McKenna picked a folder from her desk and gave it to Oliver saying, "I wish this was thicker, but we don't really have much on him. Love to say we're going to catch him before your sister's trial, but it's highly unlikely."

She looked at her watch and said, "Oh, I am late for my shift."

She gathered her things while Oliver politely asked, "If you get anything on this guy, just…. let me know?"

"I always loved how much you cared about your sister", McKenna said to him, "But leave the policing to the police, okay?"

"Okay", said Oliver. The two smiled at each other and he walked out of the squad room. He passed by Quentin Lance.

"What did Queen want?" he asked her.

"He's an old friend, sister's jammed up", she said as she looked at him, "Anything else, Sergeant?"

"No", he said as he sipped his coffee and she walked away.

* * *

The dealer who had been roughed up by The Hood the previous night sat alone in a darkened kitchen. Three men entered.

He gasped when the first one put a gun to his head. He was tall, with a pale face and wore a coat. He raised his hand in front of the dealer and looking at his jacket quipped, "You need a tailor."

"You know about the Hood guy", the dealer said in fear, "He cornered me, man."

"The Hood guy?" asked the man.

"I didn't say anything", the man promised.

"Oh, I know", said the man who was none other than The Count, "You can't divulge what you don't know."

The dealer smiled in relief but then The Count said, "But examples must be made."

He walked behind the dealer and pulling out a syringe, jammed it into the dealer's neck.

"Vertigo, in its purest form", he said to the dealer as he pulled out the needle while the man started shaking and gasping, "When injected directly into your bloodstream, it affects the thalamus region of your brain, which is where all of the information from the pain receptors is collected. No doubt you're in excruciating pain. But actually, you're not. You just think you are. I've seen it last for days, until the heart finally gives out."

The dealer screamed in agony while The Count waved the gun in front of him and said, "One bullet left."

He put the gun in the dealer's hand and said, "Now you can use that to shoot me and take your revenge", the dealer raised the gun on him while he continued, "Or you could shoot yourself."

He backed away while the dealer tried to aim at him. But the pain was too much and he jammed the gun under his chin. He then pulled the trigger, killing himself.

"The Hood', said The Count after a while, "Coming for me."

He took out a handkerchief, used it to pick up the gun and put it in his pocket.

"Interesting."

* * *

Laurel was reading an online article about Thea's upcoming trial when Matt arrived.

"Hi, Matt", she said.

"Hi, Laurel", he said to her.

"So, wanna talk about it?" she asked with a smile.

"Well", said Matt, "Just needed a break from all the papers and appeals."

"You look stressed", she said to him.

"Yes", said Matt, "I am. I'm trying my best to help Thea, but she is not making it easy. She doesn't cooperate with us even though it's for her own good."

"She is being a rebellious teenager", muttered Laurel, "But she is taking it to a whole new level which is just… it's bad."

"I know", said Matt, "Now I wonder what to do."

Someone knocked the door and Matt knew who he was.

He opened the door and Oliver walked in.

"Mr. Queen", he said to him.

"Mr. Murdock", Oliver said.

Matt asked, "So you're here to-"

"Yeah", said Oliver, "Talk to Laurel."

Matt stepped aside and Oliver walked in saying, "Hi."

"Hi", Laurel said back.

"I want you to thank you for coming to the court yesterday", Oliver said to her gratefully.

"Yeah, of course", she said, "But the judge isn't willing to move off his position."

"Because he's using her as a stepping stone for re-election", said Matt in a disgusted tone, "Instead of delivering justice."

"I need you to talk to your father", Oliver said directly to her, "He's inside the system, and maybe he cashes in a chip with Judge Brackett, gets him off throwing the book at Thea."

Laurel tried to say, "Oliver, I don't think-"

"Laurel", he said, "I'm working on something on my end but….. if it doesn't work out, it's my best chance to help my sister. Please."

Laurel sighed, "I'll see what I can do. But no promises."

"Thank you, both of you, for what you're doing for her", he said to them and walked out.

"I will come with you", said Matt.

"Why?" she asked him.

"Because I'm still the lawyer on the case", he said, "I should be there with you solely because of that."

* * *

Later that night- Matt, Laurel and Quentin were walking together near the SCPD.

"Absolutely not", said Quentin after hearing the request.

"Dad", said Laurel, "I know how you feel about Oliver-"

"Then why would you even ask me to do this?" he asked her.

"Because Thea", she pointed out, "She's only 18 years old."

"Which makes her an adult. She can take her medicine", he scoffed mercilessly, ignoring the plight of the young lady, "It's about time someone in the Queen family did."

Matt clutched his stick angrily at Quentin's insensitivity. How could someone with a kind and caring daughter like Laurel be so merciless towards a young girl's plight just because he had a deep hatred for her brother?

"Detective Lance!" he said firmly, getting his attention, "I can understand why you hate Mr. Queen, I totally can. But taking it out on his sister is just going too far."

"Who are you to tell me I'm going too far?" Quentin said angrily as the two men stood within inches of each other's face, "Just because you're a lawyer who used to date my daughter doesn't mean you can talk to me in any tone you want?"

"Just because you're a cop doesn't mean you can misuse your power anyway you want", Matt shot back to the shock of both Lances, "I know about the time you arrested Mr. Queen. The evidence was circumstantial at best, but you let your feelings get in the way of your job. If you can't separate your feelings for Mr. Queen from your job, then you are not qualified to be a cop."

"How dare you?" Quentin fumed with rage but Matt didn't back down. Deep down, Quentin knew Matt was right but he was too proud to admit.

"Thea is no different from Sara", Laurel rejoined the conversation before someone got hurt physically, "Both were young girls who acted out and engaged in reckless behavior."

"Laurel, don't go there", Quentin warned, "That's not how I remember Sara."

"That's because you remember her the way you wish she'd been, not the way she actually was", Laurel said bluntly as they stopped walking, "She's not the Saint you make her out to be. I know she was arrested for shoplifting and I know you made it go away."

"Well, maybe if I let her go to jail, Queen wouldn't put her on that damn boat!" Quentin growled.

"Dad, you make it sound like he kidnapped her!" Laurel exclaimed, "For so long, you and I have blamed Oliver for Sara's death. But Sara is to blame too."

As Quentin listened, Laurel said, "When I look at Thea, I see Sara's potential, and her flaws too. Yes, Thea made a mistake! But she's been through a lot."

"Laurel's right", said Matt, "She lost her father and brother. In prison, she will lose whatever semblance of normality she has left. It is not the place for a young, delicate lady like her. She needs someone to help her."

"Please, daddy", Laurel said.

"I'll make some calls", said Quentin grudgingly and walked away.

"I am sorry", said Matt to Laurel, "For talking to your father like that."

"It's okay, Matt", Laurel said with a sigh, "You did what I could not. Everything you said was right. My dad is a good man. But he lets his emotions get the better of him. I just hope he understands what you're trying to say."

Matt smiled at that and said, "So, you want to get some coffee?"

"Yeah", said Laurel to him, "I would love that."

* * *

The next day, Matt got a call from Oliver.

"What happened?" Matt asked him.

"Well", said Oliver, "I think now I need Daredevil too."

"I'm listening", said Matt.

"I have been in contact with an organization called the Bratva", Oliver said.

"Isn't that the name of a Russian mob?" Matt asked him, "What the hell were you doing with them? How do you know them?"

"How I know them is not important", said Oliver, "But they have arranged a meeting with The Count. My relationship with them is too valuable so I can't go there as the vigilante. I'll have to go there as myself. But Daredevil can come there and apprehend them."

"Using small-time criminals like that", said Matt, "Genius! I will be there whenever you want me to."

* * *

Later, in the Queen Manor- Matt, Oliver and Laurel sat across the table from Thea.

"My father was able to get Judge Brackett ot back off from the hardline stance", Laurel said to her.

"Your father hates me", said Thea.

"No", said Oliver and Laurel simultaneously.

"My father hates him", said Laurel as she gestured at Oliver.

"Look, nobody asked you to get involved", said Thea.

"I did", said Oliver and she looked at him in surprise.

"You should be grateful to both of them for this", Matt said to her, "The judge has agreed to a sentence of 500 hours of community service and two years of probation. Provisional on the appointment of someone to act in loco parentis."

"In loco what?" asked Thea.

"It means that the court will appoint an individual to assume responsibility for you", explained Laurel, "Me."

"I say, thanks, but no thanks", said Thea.

"Thea!" said Oliver angrily, "You don't actually have a choice."

"Oh, actually, I do", sad Thea, "See, I'm 18 now, and I can make my own decisions. And I choose to not be your ex-girlfriend's office monkey."

"A digit means nothing if you are going to throw your life away by choosing like this", said Matt bluntly, "Even children would know what's better for them out of these two."

"Well", said Laurel awkwardly, "If you change your mind, then."

She walked out while Matt and Oliver thanked her.

"You're in trouble, Thea", said Oliver angrily, "And rightly so. Doing drugs and driving? It is beyond stupid. That is a good deal Laurel got you! Why aren't you jumping at it."

"I already have a mother", Thea scoffed.

"So you're going to go to jail and it will ruin the rest of your life", Oliver sighed.

"No", said Thea with a humorless chuckle as she rose from the couch, "I want to ruin mom's life. She's a liar and a cheat. I mean, deal with it Ollie. You can pretend all you want that she's a Saint but I hate her. She betrayed dad."

She started to storm off.

Oliver asked incredulously, "So you're just- you're going to go to jail to spite her."

"This, what you're doing", said Matt, "This won't hurt your mother, Miss Queen. But it will hurt you far more than you can imagine. In ways that will hurt you and haunt you forever."

"How do you know that, Mr. Murdock?" she asked him angrily as she stopped, "You've never been to jail."

"No", said Matt, 'I've never been arrested. But I have gone to jail to visit people. It's not pretty. After hell, it's the next worst thing. And some of the criminals are powerful. They're rich. They use their power to control the entire prison- inmates, guards, everything. And they don't take kindly to someone who is not with them."

As Thea looked at him, he said, "You want to know how I know? Well, last year, I went to visit Wilson Fisk in prison to ask him about Frank Castle. I managed to piss him off. And you know what he did? He punched me, and he slammed my head on the table multiple times. And the guards, they did nothing! NOTHING! Absolutely nothing to stop him. And I was just a visitor. If your prison has people like that, what will you do? Fight them? Because you're not Frank Castle."

Thea now paled at what she'd heard. She wanted to spite her mother by going to prison but what Matt had said made it obvious that it would be infinitely worse for her than it would be for her mother.

Oliver appreciated what Matt had said. But he also could not stand her disrespect of Moira.

"Mr. Murdock", he said to Matt, "A moment please?"

The two went to a corner and Matt said, "I'm sorry, Oliver. But I had to say that."

"I know", said Oliver, "And you're right. You did what I could not. But there is something I need to say to her that should remain within family. Which is why I need you to go outside."

"All right", said Matt as he began walking out, "But you know, I'll probably hear it anyway. Don't worry, though. I won't tell anyone."

Oliver nodded as Matt walked out.

Turning to Thea, he said, "Thea, mom didn't cheat on dad. Dad cheated on her."

"What're you talking about?" she asked him.

"Dad wasn't the man he said he was", said Oliver to her, "On the Queen's Gambit right before he died, he admitted that he failed us. You. Me. And mom. That he wasn't the man he said he was and he just wished he had more time to right his wrongs."

"I don't believe you", she said in shaky voice, disbelief and heartbreak written all over her face.

"Yes, you do", Oliver countered.

"Leave me alone", Thea demanded and stormed out. Oliver sighed and turned around- to see Moira standing there.

"How dare you", she said to him angrily.

"She was old enough to know the truth", said Oliver simply.

They glared at each other but then Dig arrived. Moira sighed and walked away.

"Oliver", said Dig once Moira was gone, "The Russians called. The meet is set. It's tonight."

* * *

At night, an SUV pulled up near Oliver, Diggle, Alexi and his associate.

Several men came out as Oliver and Diggle held up their hands while The Count's men cleared them.

The Count then stepped out of the car and waving the folder said, "Thank you for this. But I'm not overly concerned about the SCPD. Now, I understand you gentlemen wish to participate in the feel good business."

"Yes", said Oliver.

"Why's that?" The Count asked.

"Well", said Oliver, "I'm opening a night club and I'd like my customers to have a little…..something extra."

"Well", said The Count, "As it happens, I'm looking to expand my brand."

The money bags were thrown down while The Count's men produced a small briefcase.

"A good wine's value is measured by its vintage. The number of years it took to ferment", he said as he opened the case to show small packets filled with Vertigo, "Vertigo is measured in lives. 56 people died to perfect this high."

He waved a packet on Oliver's face and threw it back saying, "Believe me when I say they did not die for nothing."

He closed the case and was about to hand it to Oliver when tires squealed and sirens blared.

"The cops! We've been set up!" yelled a man as several police vans arrived.

"Let's go!' someone yelled as The Count, his men, Alexi and his associate, Oliver and DIggle scrambled as Lance and several other officers were on the spot.

"SCPD! Put your weapons down!" Lance said as the cops pointed their guns at everyone. The Count's men and the Bratva engaged in a gunfight with the police.

Oliver saw The Count running off with a man and ran after him, ignoring Diggle's call of, "Oliver!"

He caught up to them and punched the man with him, knocking him out. He then ran after The Count but he spun around. He was about to jam a syringe into Oliver's chest when his hand was grabbed from behind and he was flipped to the ground. It was Daredevil. The syringe fell away.

Oliver gave him a nod of appreciation and said, "Get the other men!"

Daredevil nodded and ran to engage the other men. He threw a club at the back of one of them and caught it on return. He then quickly flip-kicked another man and he was out. He swept another man's feet from under him and knocked him out by hitting him with the club on the face.

Some of them were running when McKenna drove a car towards them. She drove with one hand and fired with the other, getting two of them. Daredevil hit one with a club and kicked the other away before hitting him with it too, knocking them both out.

The Count picked up the syringe and swung it at Oliver who dodged and grabbing The Count's hand, made him plunge it into himself.

"Enjoy the fruits of your labor", said Oliver as The Count himself started shaking and gasping.

"Oliver!" said DIggle as he ran up to him, "We got to go."

Oliver nodded and the two ran off, leaving behind The Count. Daredevil got the remaining thugs.

* * *

Next day, in Queen Manor, Oliver and Diggle walked in to see Moira talking to Detective Lance and Hall.

"What's wrong?" asked Oliver, "Is everything okay with Thea?"

"This isn't about your sister. This is about you", said Lance as he rose, "Last night, we got a call from a C.I., busted up a drug sale between a big time dealer and the Russian mob."

Oliver looked at McKenna and asked, "'We?'" I thought you worked Vice."

"Joint task force", said McKenna, "Vertigo got everyone holding hands."

"Like I said, last night, drug deal gone south", said Lance, "An eyewitness put you at the scene."

"Whoever he is, he is mistaken", said Oliver.

"Yeah?" said Lance as he moved closer.

"I saw you, Oliver", McKenna stated to his shock.

"Is this true?" asked Moira.

Oliver sighed and said, "I was looking into The Count. He's the guy who sold drugs to Thea. And I figured if I could find out what he looked like, then I could give your sketch artist something to work on. So I paid a low-life with a Russian accent an obscene amount of money to arrange a meeting."

"Well", said McKenna, "I believe you. And we got him. With help from that Daredevil from Hell's Kitchen."

"That's good to know", he said.

"All right", Moira said to Quentin, "Are you pressing charges against my son?"

Quentin glared at Oliver for a while and finally said, "No!"

As he walked out with McKenna, Oliver said sincerely, "Thank you very much. Thank you for what you did for Thea."

"My daughter asked me for a favor and I did it", he said, "End of story."

He walked out as McKenna said, "I hope you don't think I sold you out."

"No", said Oliver, "Just doing your job."

The two smiled at each other and she walked out.

Moira rose and demanded, "What on earth were you thinking?"

"I was trying to help", said Oliver with a scoff.

"By running around with the Russian mob and a murderous drug dealer?" she asked, "Are you out of your mind?"

"Well, The Count has been caught", said Oliver bluntly, "And the real reason you're upset is because I told Thea the truth about dad."

"She never needed to know that", said Moira.

"Yes, I did."

They turned to see Thea walk in, "I'm old enough to know the truth, mom."

"It wasn't about your age", said Moira with a sigh, "It was about preserving your memory of your father. He loved you. No matter his faults, he loved you."

"I said I wished that you had died instead of him, but you didn't say anything. Why?" she asked tearfully.

"One day, I hope you're lucky enough to have a daughter", said Moira, "And you'll know why."

Thea threw herself into her mother's arms and said while crying, "I'm so sorry for what I said."

"I know, I know", said Moira as she held her daughter while Oliver walked out.

* * *

A day later, after Thea had accepted the deal, Oliver and Matt escorted her to the CNRI.

"Juvenile delinquent reporting for duty", said Thea nervously as Laurel walked over with a smile.

"Since you lost your driver's license, I'll pick you up at five", said Oliver.

"Six", said Laurel, "We have a lot of work to do."

"Well then, let's say seven", said Oliver with a smile.

"Is it too late to choose jail?" Thea asked jokingly.

"Yes!" said the three in unison and then laughed.

Laurel handed Thea a stack of folders and said, "I need you to go through these files and pull out all documents dated March 2007, You think you can do that?"

"I think I can", said Thea as she walked towards an empty desk.

"Miss Queen", said Matt as she turned to look at him, "You've got a second chance. Don't blow it. And listen to what Laurel says."

Thea nodded and said to the three, "Look, I know I messed up. But I really appreciate this, Laurel. Thank you, all of you."

Laurel smiled and said, "We're going to make an upstanding citizen out of you yet, Speedy."

As Thea started working, Oliver said to both the lawyers, "Thank you, for what you did for her. And this will be good. Having you as a role model, Laurel, somebody better than me."

"Oh, you're not so bad", said Laurel to him and Matt said, "She's right. You're good. You risked a lot to help your sister. You care about her."

Oliver smiled as Laurel smiled and staring at Thea said, "Besides, it'll be nice having her around."

* * *

In the Iron Heights hospital wing, Lance looked at The Count with the doctor. He was strapped to a gurney.

"He's still critical", said the doctor, "I've never seen someone OD on this much Vertigo and live. There's no way of knowing what kind of damage has been done to his brain and nervous system. Or if its still reparable."

She walked away with The Count being wheeled away as Lance looked on.

* * *

Oliver and Matt sat in a bar and drank some beer.

"Thank you", said Oliver to Matt, "For everything you did for my sister."

"No problem", said Matt, "But Laurel helped too."

"I know", said Oliver, "The thing is, after all you've done for her, I need no more reason to trust you."

"Which means?" asked Matt.

"We can work together", said Oliver.

Matt and Oliver shook hands.

* * *

 

"Hi", said Oliver to Felicity as she walked to him in his house.

"Hi", Felicity responded, "Thanks for meeting me. I was nervous to come to your house."

She gave a nervous chuckle and said, "Okay….. the thing is, I've been debating whether to share this with you for weeks. Can I trust you?"

As he gave her a confused look, she said, "I'm not an idiot. You've dropped some fairly ridiculous lies on me, and yet I still feel like I can trust you. Why is that?"

"I have one of those faces", he quipped.

When she looked at him, he smiled and said, "Sorry, yes. You can trust me."

"Then I have something to show you", she said as she took a notebook out of her handbag. She handed it to him as he looked at it.

He opened it and saw a familiar list of names.

"Have you seen this before?" she asked.

"No", he said. And he wasn't lying. He had seen The List. But not this one.

"Where did you get it?" he asked.

"From your stepfather", she said and he looked surprised.

"From Walter", he said, "Uh…. Where did he get it?"

"He said he found it in your house", Felicity said, "That it belongs to your mother. Walter thought she was hiding something. Something more, and he wanted me to look into it, but then he vanished."

After taking a deep breath, she said, "I think this list might have cost Walter his life."

Oliver stared, feeling angry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time too, Matt's presence ensures that The Count is captured early. I am not much of a lawyer so I don't know how courts work but I hope you liked Matt's jab at corruption and his calling out of Lance and Thea.
> 
> Lance once again let his emotions get the better of him while Thea was just being stupid.
> 
> Once again, thank you to Phillipe363 for letting me use the title of his Daredevil/Arrow crossover.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	8. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quentin tries to use Laurel as bait to capture The Hood which brings her under the wrong person's radar. John spies on Moira to find out what she is up to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil, Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.
> 
> Before you read this, I want to tell you all that I added another scene in the last chapter just before the last scene. I request you all to read that scene so that this chapter doesn't feel rushed.

In Iron Heights, a man was released from prison. He happily walked out to see his girlfriend waiting near the car. The two kissed passionately.

* * *

Next day, George Wolfman was about to leave his house for work when the man and his girlfriend entered. He stared at them in shock.

"Hi George", said the man casually.

"Vanch", said Wolfman in dread.

"Surprised to see me?" asked Vanch, "I imagine you would be, seeing as how you botched my trial, and from Viv here tells me, protecting my interests."

"There were contingencies that couldn't be anticipated", said George in fear.

"Yes, Vivian told me", said Vanch, "The head of the Triad getting ventilated, Bertinelli getting collared, and, uh, this archer."

"Exactly", said Wolfman as he started believing he would survive, "What am I supposed to do in the face of something like that?"

"Absolutely nothing, Georgie", said Vanch as he held out his arms, "Tell you what? All is forgiven. Give us a hug."

He forced Wolfman into a hug and said, "You know, I could use a place to stay while I'm getting my sea legs back under me, George, and you got a nice place here. What do you say? George? George? George?"

He let George go and the lifeless body dropped to the ground as his switchblade slipped out of George's chest.

Vanch looked at his dead lawyer and then at Vivian saying, "I hope George has been food shopping. I'm famished."

* * *

In the lair, Oliver brought Matt and Diggle up to speed on everything.

"So this book contains the list of the names of the guys you've been hunting", said Dig as he held up Oliver's notebook before holding up the second one, "And this book, your mother's, has the same list of names."

"It's identical", Oliver confirmed.

"Where'd your mother get this copy?" asked Matt, "And how did you get it?"

"Felicity Smoak", Oliver told them, "From the IT Department of Queen Consolidated. She said that Walter found it in their bedroom."

"And then he went missing", said Matt while Oliver frowned at what the blind lawyer-vigilante was implying.

"She's my mother", argued Oliver, "She's not the kind of person who would-"

"Have her husband disappeared?" John finished, "Because that's really the question, isn't it, Oliver? I understand why you'd believe your mother over your stepfather, but I tend to believe the innocent party is whoever's missing- and presumed dead."

* * *

Moira was putting on her shoes, getting ready to head out when Oliver walked in.

"Hey", he said, "Heading out?"

Moira smiled and said, "Oh yeah, it's a meeting with the financial planners."

She noticed Oliver's far-off look and asked, "Are you all right?"

After some hesitation, Oliver said, "There was something I wanted to talk to you about." He then held up the notebook and held it up for Moira to see, "I want to talk to you about Walter. Right around Christmas, when he disappeared, he gave me this."

He handed her the book and she looked over it, not showing any emotion, "This is your father's notebook. He kept a list of all the people in Starling City who owed him favors. I had no idea there were so many of them."

"I've just been researching some of those names online", said Oliver, "And, um, they're not good people."

"Oliver", said Moira, "I have no idea what your father was involved in, or with whom. And you and your sister both know he wasn't exactly honest with me."

Oliver tried to say, "Then we need to find out-"

"No", said Moira firmly, "If what you say is true and this list is filled with bad people, and Walter was looking into it, and now he-"

She stopped and threw the book into the fire. Oliver was frustrated at that but managed to regain his cool face when she looked at him.

"The only way to keep this family safe is for everyone in it to stop asking questions", said Moira, "Including you, Oliver."

She placed her hand on his chest and said, "Promise me."

Oliver just looked at the now burning book.

* * *

"So this is really happening", commented Thea as she walked with Laurel at CNRI, "498 hours of community service to go."

"499", said Laurel with a smirk, "This orientation doesn't count."

Thea groaned, "Tell me how this is not cruel and unusual punishment."

"Anastasia, Joanna", said Laurel, attracting the attention of Joanna and another woman, "Meet Thea Queen, our new intern."

"Interns get school credit", Thea argued, "I am more like a court-ordered slave."

"Oh, I can relate", said Anastasia as she shook Thea's hand.

"Welcome aboard, Thea", said Joanna with a smile.

"Anastasia is on a pro-bono sabbatical term from her law firm", explained Laurel.

"And apparently from my six figure salary", quipped Anastasia.

"The experience of helping others is its own reward", said Laurel as Thea rolled her eyes.

"I have yet to see any evidence of that", said Anastasia.

"Speaking of evidence", said Joanna, "Cyrus Vanch was released from Iron Heights."

Laurel looked shocked as Joanna said, "Anastasia told me."

"We represent a victim's advocacy group who's trying to keep Vanch locked up", explained Anastasia.

Laurel walked over to her desk and picking up her phone said, "I'm calling Kate Spencer."

"I already did", said Anastasia, "She said there's nothing the D.A.'s office can do without further evidence."

Laurel slammed down her phone and then said, "Well then, I'm going to her office."

"And then she also said to not show up at her office", Anastasia revealed as Laurel stopped.

"Vanch is connected to human trafficking, drug running, racketeering and at least 52 different homicides", said Laurel angrily.

"What's our play?" asked Joanna, "Because unless we have access to some private police force, Vanch will be free to roam the streets."

Hearing that, Laurel got an idea.

* * *

"You don't find this a little convenient?" John asked Oliver, "Her just so happening to have burnt that book?"

"She did it out of concern for my safety, Diggle", Oliver argued, defending his mother.

"Or maybe, her own", said Matt and when Oliver glared at him, he said, "Or both of you."

"Oliver, you said it yourself", said John, "Whoever compiled that list is someone very dangerous, and if your mother is lying to you-"

"And she didn't know any of the names on the list", Oliver argued again.

"You don't know that, Oliver", said Matt, "She could have said that to get you off this."

"Yes", said Diggle, "You don't have to take her word for it. Oliver, if this was anybody else, you'd be hooded up right now on your way to have an arrow-sided chat with them."

"This isn't anybody else", said Oliver, "This is my mother. And I know her."

Before Matt could say anything, Oliver's phone rang.

"What's that?" asked Diggle as Oliver picked up the phone from his table.

"That is the phone I gave to Lance so that he could contact The Hood", said Oliver.

"Is he asking you to turn yourself in?" Dig quipped.

"I don't think he is that stupid", said Matt.

"He gave it to Laurel", said Oliver as he answered the call, "Hello?"

"I need your help", said Laurel from the other side.

"That's why you have the phone", said Oliver.

"Cyrus Vanch was just released on a technicality", she said to him, "Living large in his lawyer's house."

Oliver ran a search on his computer and an article of George Wolfman being missing popped up.

"Who is now missing", he told her.

"There's no evidence of foul play", said Laurel, "But he isn't Vanch's first victim. And I'm sure he won't be his last."

"What about the police?" asked Oliver.

"They can't move on him without evidence of new criminal activity", she said in a bitter tone.

"Laurel, obtaining evidence isn't what I do", Oliver told her.

"Vanch is dangerous", Laurel said in a pleading tone.

"Hold on to the phone", said Oliver after considering the situation, "I'll call."

He hung up and turned to Matt and Diggle.

"Laurel needs my help", he said to the two.

"Oliver, are you running to help her or away from your mother?" John asked him.

"I think it's a bit of both", said Matt, "But we should help her. I have heard about Vanch. I can't believe they freed him. Does the law have no honor now?"

He was trembling with rage after the last sentence. He was angry with the system. He wanted to use the law to solve the problem but the people were so corrupt that more problems were created. The innocents were tormented while their tormenters were not punished.

"Let's go", he said to Matt and the two walked off.

* * *

Lance was working on his case when Kelton walked up to him.

"Hey, Detective?" he asked.

"I'm busy, Kelton", he said to him.

"I'm pretty sure you want to hear this", said Kelton, "The bug I planted in the phone from the vigilante just lit up. It seems your daughter is playing Maid Marian to Robin Hood again."

Lance got up as Kelton asked, "Where're you going?"

"Lieutenant Pike's office", he said, "If she's going to meet The Hood, there should be a taskforce there when she does."

* * *

Outside Wolfman's house, The Hood shot down a guard while Daredevil threw his club at another, knocking him out.

Inside, Vanch said to Vivian as they ate, "See, we got to look at this as an opportunity, the Triad and the Bertinellis are leaderless. The giant sucking sound you're hearing is the current power vacuum in Starling City, the one I'm planning on filling."

Outside, The Hood shot down another guard while Daredevil knocked out another by throwing his club.

Inside, Vivian asked Vanch, "How are you going to convince the Triad and the Bertinellis to sign up with you?"

Outside, The Hood fired an arrow and it embedded itself outside Vanch's room with a 'thwarp.' Vanch managed to hear the sound but ignored it for the time being.

The arrow had a recording device which The Hood used to record everything they were saying.

"Well, that's an excellent question", Vanch said to her, "I need to do something. Something spectacular, to get their attention and earn their respect."

Daredevil heard a man sneaking up on them and turning around, threw the club. It hit him but before going down, he ended up firing shots into the air as his aim had gone awry.

The sounds attracted Vanch's attention so he got up and looked around. He spotted the arrow with the recording device. He yanked it out and turning to Vivian said, "You know what I learnt in prison? If you want to be respected, you find the biggest guy and put him down permanent."

Holding up the arrow, he said, "I think I just found the biggest guy."

Daredevil and The Hood ran off and disappeared into the night.

* * *

Laurel was preparing to go out and eat outside when she felt a vibration in her pocket.

"Hello?" she said, answering the call.

"It's me", said The Hood, "I have something. Can you meet?"

"Yeah", she said, "Where?"

"Rooftop", he said, "Winick Building. 30 minutes."

* * *

At the SCPD, Lance listened to the conversation and told the tech, "Good work, Kelton."

Turning to the taskforce, he said, "Okay everybody, rubber bullets. This is my daughter here. She cannot come to any harm. But outside of that, you do whatever needs doing to bring that archer down."

* * *

Laurel arrived at the roof of the Winick Building. As she looked around, The Hood arrived.

"Hello, Laurel", he said to her.

"Thank you for helping", she said to him.

"I couldn't do much, Vanch's position is too heavily fortified, but I did get this", he pulled out a flash drive which she took, "Evidence he's trying to take over the positions vacated by Frank Bertinelli and-"

He paused to listen to the surroundings as something felt off, "And the Triad."

Laurel had noticed his brief pause and asked, "What's wrong?"

"We're not alone", he told her.

"What?" she asked in shock.

The door burst open as Lance, Hilton and several other cops arrived on the scene.

"SCPD! Get down!" Lance commanded as him and the others pointed their guns at him.

Acting quickly, The Hood grabbed Laurel and put her between them.

"Hands where we can see 'em!" Lance commanded again.

"Dad!" Laurel shouted in surprise.

"Do it now!" Lance commanded a third time, "You so much as leave a bruise on her, and I swear I'll drag you down to hell myself!"

"Laurel, I'm sorry", The Hood whispered to Laurel and pushed her at Lance. He jumped off the roof, falling on the park below. Lance shoved Laurel into Hilton's arms and looked over the edge of the roof.

"Quentin, don't!" Hilton shouted but Lance jumped off and fell hardly on the grass. He staggered to his feet and saw The Hood running into an office building.

He ran after him and entered the building. He saw a door marked 'Level 5' closing. He opened it and cautiously entered, gun at the ready. As he looked around, he was knocked out by a strong punch from The Hood.

* * *

Later, Quentin sat on a chair in the SCPD Department, nursing his wounds as Laurel yelled at him.

"I don't know what's worse", she said, "The fact that you lied to me or nearly got me killed!"

"You were completely safe", he argued.

"I was on a rooftop with an army of men pointing their guns at my face!" she yelled.

"Well, you shouldn't have been on that roof in the first place", he argued again.

"No!" she yelled, "You wanted me on that roof. Wasn't that the whole point of your little trap?"

"I'm trying to catch a killer!" snarled Quentin.

"You manipulated me", she yelled angrily again.

"Manipulated?" he asked incredulously, "You practically ran to this guy. I told you, I said stay away from him and you did not!"

"That was before you gave me the phone!" Laurel said angrily.

"What?!" he asked.

"That's before you realized you could use me as bait", Laurel accused, "Your own daughter!"

"Yeah" Quentin shouted, "But you wouldn't listen to me!"

"You are so blinded by your hate for him that you don't realize the damage it's doing in your life", Laurel told him bluntly, "To your family. So what happens when you catch him? What happens then? You're going to find another criminal. Somebody else to blame for mom leaving? For Sara dying? For your drinking?"

"That's enough, Laurel", Quentin snarled, trembling with rage.

"Yeah", she yelled, "You're damn right it is."

She turned and started leaving when he suddenly called out, "Laurel!"

She stopped, thinking he was going to apologize. As she turned to him, he held out his hand and said, "The phone."

As she stared at him in disbelief, he said, "Give me the phone."

Laurel walked up to him slowly, taking it out from her pocket, and then slammed it down hard on the table.

* * *

In the lair, Oliver put his bow in the crate and slammed the lid hard.

"Laurel could have been hurt", he said angrily, "Or worse."

"Just when I thought her father couldn't sink any lower!" growled Matt, "I can't believe he did something like that to catch you."

"It was Lance's fault, I guess", said Dig.

"What's your point, Dig?" asked Oliver as he faced him.

"Just that you don't see straight when it comes to Laurel", said Dig, "Or your mother."

Oliver walked up to Dig and hissed, "This is not the time to bring this up again."

"Dig, tell me, did you see clearly in Gaynor's case?" asked Matt and John was silent, "In this case, it wasn't Laurel's fault. It was all Lance! That man doesn't deserve to be a cop! However in Mrs. Queen's case, I think you might be right."

As Oliver tried to say something to Matt, Dig said to him, "I think I should tell you something right now. I'll be driving your mother around for a few days."

"You're spying on her?!" Oliver growled.

"Just doing my due diligence", said John, "See if she meets with anyone we might be interested in."

"She's not a suspect", stated Oliver, "She's my mother."

"I think that does not remove her from the suspect list", said Matt as Oliver glared at him, "I understand that she is your mother and you can't stand it if somebody accuses her, but we only choose to see the good in those we care about and are blinded to their faults."

"We need to take a closer, objective look at her", said Dig.

"Something is going on and it involves both our cities", said Matt, "We need to do everything we can about it."

"She's not involved", said Oliver.

"Then there's no harm in me driving her around for a few days, is there?" asked John as he picked up his jacket and walked out.

* * *

Next day, Vanch was standing and eating his breakfast while watching the news as his men stood around with guns.

"A sting operation to catch the notorious Starling City vigilante wreaked havoc last night", said the reporter, "Despite the police's failed attempt to apprehend the vigilante, police have continued to insist that their warnings remain. This archer is considered to be armed and dangerous. Should you find yourself in harm's way, always, always call 9-1-1."

"Interesting", said Vanch as he turned off the TV, "Using deception and intimidation to make a name for himself. This guy stole my move."

"I have news", said Vivian as she walked in, "From my friend in the police department. I think I've figured out a way to get The Hood out and into the open."

"Huh", he said, "Astonish me."

"Remember that attorney? Laurel Lance?" asked Vivian as Vanch gave a slightly sinister smile.

* * *

Laurel was sitting in her apartment when someone knocked the door. She thought it was her father and getting up to open the door said, "Dad! If you want to talk to me then-"

She paused on opening the door and gasped as two men lunged at her. One of them grabbed her by the neck and tried to slam her against the door. The two made the mistake of assuming she was easy prey. Her father was a cop and he had taught her self-defense.

The man was behind her, trying to tighten his grip when she used her feet to push back, slamming him against the door and then elbowing him. He went down. The other man hadn't entered yet. She grabbed him by the face and pushed him down before slamming his leg with the door. As he screamed in pain, she ran inside and threw down some furniture to slow them down.

She ran inside but the second man grabbed her again. She picked up her umbrella and smacked him with it. The first man recovered and ran at her.

She hit the second man on the face with the umbrella, knocking her out. The first man lunged at her but she ducked and slipped past him. She hit him on the back with the umbrella and slammed his head into the curio cabinet's glass doors, knocking him out.

She turned around- coming face to face with Vanch.

"I love a girl who can take care of herself", he quipped as he brought his taser to the side of her neck, making her drop down, unconscious, "But can't block a taser."

* * *

"Laurel, it's me", said Matt as he knocked at her door. He wanted to give her company after how her father had used her. He even had a credible explanation as to how he knew about it.

But the door opened on its own and he realized that he could not hear her heartbeat anywhere close by.

He walked around and sensed the toppled furniture. He then realized an arrow was stuck in the wall. It had a recording device on it with the light blinking red. He yanked it out of the wall and pressed the play button.

"Make sure this message finds its way to the vigilante", said the voice of Vanch as Matt tensed, "Do it fast, because at sunrise, I'm going to leave pieces of this girl all over Starling City unless he pays me a little visit. You know, gives us a chance to know each other better."

Matt trembled with rage and then with a roar, punched the wall so hard a small crack formed on it. He needed to tell Oliver. And as much as he hated Lance, he realized the man had a right to know too as he was Laurel's father.

* * *

Detective Lance collapsed on the chair with the arrow, holding his head in his hands as Matt stood in front of him.

"Do whatever you have to do", said Matt, "Quick!"

"How did they know about Laurel?" Lance muttered.

"I have no idea", said Matt when suddenly Quentin realized something.

Lance looked at the officers around him and muttered, "There's a leak."

"So you think some of them are friends with whoever kidnapped her?" asked Matt in a whisper and Quentin nodded slowly before pulling out the phone he had taken from Laurel.

* * *

As Oliver arrived in the lair, Diggle said, "Thanks for coming. It didn't seem like a good idea to talk about it at your home."

"Yeah", said Oliver sarcastically, "It would have been awkward for you to explain to my mother that you're spying on her."

"No man", Dig said as held out a recording device, "Awkward part's coming up."

Oliver took the device and asked, "You bugged my mother?"

"Just listen", said Dig firmly and Oliver turned the device on with a sigh.

"It's taken care of", said the slightly distorted voice of Moira, "I've taken care of it. Carl Ballard will not be a problem anymore."

"Given your property for squeamishness, I'm assuming that Mr. Ballard remains in good health", said a second voice which Oliver did not recognize.

"I made it clear to him persuasively that his plans endangered the Undertaking", said Moira's voice, "I didn't have to make the usual threats."

"Excellent", said the other voice, "Now one more matter to attend to. I need you to have contents of this address removed and disposed of thoroughly. The warehouse where you're storing the remains of 'The Queen's Gambit.'"

"I already told you", said Moira's voice, "I knew the yacht was sabotaged."

Shocked, Oliver shut off the device.

"I am sorry, man", said Dig apologetically.

"The yacht was sabotaged", Oliver gasped, "Somebody tried to kill my father."

Diggle pointed out, "And your mother was involved somehow."

Oliver glared at him and said, "You do not know that she was involved, Diggle!"

Dig stared at him and said, "What I do know, Oliver, and so do you, is that she kept this a secret. Why would she do that if she didn't have something to hide?"

A buzzing sound was heard and Dig asked, "Is that-"

"Yeah!" Oliver took out the phone and accepted the call before growling, "You have three seconds before I have this line permanently disconnected."

"It's Laurel", said Quentin desperately, "She has been kidnapped. Listen, whoever it is, he's going to kill my daughter. Please believe me."

"He's telling the truth", said Matt as he walked in, looking tired as he had jumped around the city in about 3 minutes to get from the SCPD to the lair.

* * *

Detective Lance stood on the roof of the Winick Building. This time, he was alone.

"Detective", Lance spun around and saw The Hood standing there who warned him, "If this is another trick, you will not like the consequences."

"I'm not particularly happy right now", said Lance with a sigh, "I hate you. I hate everything you stand for. But this lunatic has my little girl."

He held up the recording arrow and said, "He left this behind as some kind of ransom note."

"His name is Cyrus Vanch", said The Hood without needing to listen to the recording.

"Jeez", said Lance, "He'll kill her if he doesn't get to you."

"He'll kill her anyway", said The Hood bluntly, "So why come to me?"

"It's a pretty tight circle that knows about you and my daughter working together", said Lance with a sigh, "If Vanch knows, it's because someone at the precinct talked. There isn't anybody else I could trust."

"Vanch is holed up at a fortidied mansion", said The Hood, "I'm going to get her."

"I'll come with you", said Lance.

"I don't need your help", said The Hood.

"Then how are you going to save her?" asked Lance, "You said it was fortified. How can you defeat them all alone?"

"He's not alone."

Quentin spun around and gasped on seeing Daredevil standing there.

"You?" he said in shock, "So you are really here?"

"When men like you can't get the job done", said Daredevil, "Men like me are needed."

* * *

At Vanch's mansion, he was in the dining room with Vivian and a bound Laurel.

"Time's running out", said Vanch casually, "And still no visit from your friend. I might have overestimated his fondness for you."

As he said that, he yanked her head back by the hair and placed his knife at her throat.

"Assault with intent", said a tearful Laurel with defiance, "And kidnapping. You're going to rot in prison for life this time."

Vanch chuckled and said, "Assuming your hooded BFF saves you. And his chances of survival are not so great. He's going up against trained men with their fingers on the trigger of guns that fire up to 600 rounds per minute. Now, I'm no Einstein but that's a lot of bullets."

Outside, two of his men were shot down by arrows while a third was knocked out by a club.

Daredevil and The Hood ran past them. One of the men turned to them to fire but Daredevil leapt at him and grabbing his head between his feet, slammed him to the ground. Before he could get up, Daredevil slammed his head on the ground, knocking him out. Another ran up to them but was shot down.

Daredevil and The Hood ran around the building.

"And even if he were to take them out", said Vanch, "I have two sharpshooters on the roof."

The Hood spotted the sharpshooters. He shot an explosive arrow which blinded the two men. He shot down one of them while Daredevil threw his club at the other, knocking him down.

"And even if he were to get by them", said Vanch, "What's he going to do about the veritable army of sons of bitches I've got waiting for him!"

The Hood shot down one man as he fired off a shot into the air while Daredevil leapt over him and kicked a man hard on the face, breaking a few bones. The Hood fired at another man while Daredevil knocked another out by throwing his club.

"Now, as I said, I'm no Einstein, but I can count to 24", said Vanch unaffected by the sounds of battle from outside, "And in case you're wondering, I was so studied up on my news footage- 24 is the exact number of arrows he carries in his quiver around his forearm."

His plan was brilliant but fortunately for Laurel, it had one fatal flaw. He had not taken into account another vigilante.

Daredevil and The Hood walked into the house. Daredevil heard a heartbeat and turning around, threw his club at another man, knocking him out.

The two walked in. Vanch and Vivian gasped in horror on seeing Daredevil with The Hood.

"Y-you?" said Vanch in horror with a trembling voice, cursing the vigilante inwardly.

Daredevil sensed Laurel's heart beating fast and her tears. He angrily clenched his fists and before Vanch could do a thing, he rushed him and grabbing him, slammed him on the table, breaking it.

As Vanch lay on the ground, Daredevil knelt down and punched him in the stomach, making him gasp for breath. As Vivian looked on in horror, he picked up Vanch by the head and slammed it on the ground hard thrice, finally knocking him out.

Vivian now tried to escape but The Hood grabbed her arm and flipped her to the ground, taking her down. Looking at Laurel, Daredevil said, "Don't worry. You'll be all right."

He picked up Vanch's knife and cut her restraints.

* * *

Later, Quentin was wrapping up his day's work as Laurel stood near the desk, a blanket wrapped around her, a cup of coffee in her hands.

"All right", he said to her, "You're good to go. I'll, uh, I'll take you home now."

Laurel looked at him for a moment and with a shake if her head said, "I can take a cab."

"Laurel, you had a trauma. I'll drive you home", Quentin insisted.

"No", she said firmly.

With a confused look, he asked, "What?"

"I'm going to need you to keep your distance for a while", she said.

"Laurel-"

"Dad, I love you. I'll always love you", she assured him, "But what I can't do right now is trust you."

"I was just doing my job", Quentin argued, "I thought you'd understand at least that."

"That part I do understand", she said, "But lying to me? Using me? It's going to take longer."

She walked out to a line of cars when The Hood stepped out.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

"What would you do if I said I didn't know?" she asked.

"That you were being honest", he said.

"My father has the phone now", she said with a sigh, "And I don't think he'll be giving it back anytime soon."

"Maybe that's good", replied The Hood, "I didn't see how that would put you in danger."

"I'm a big girl", she said, "I knew the risks."

"Now I know them", he said, "And I'm not willing to take them with you."

"What does that mean?" she asked as she looked at him, confused.

"It means goodbye."

Before she could say anything, she heard Matt's voice, "Laurel!"

The Hood slipped away as Matt walked up to Laurel.

"Laurel!" he said as the two embraced tightly, "Oh, my God! Are you all right?"

"Yes, yes", she said tearfully as she hugged him tighter, "I'm all right."

"Don't worry", he said, "You'll be all right."

Laurel gave him a curious look at that as she had heard those exact words a while ago. But hearing that from him made her feel better.

Their faces were now inches apart. Because of her ordeal, Laurel wasn't thinking clearly. Because he was worried for her, Matt wasn't thinking clearly.

But before their lips could connect, Matt stopped. Not because he thought going down this road again was a mistake. But because he sensed someone close by watching them. It was a cop. Matt heard his heart beating really fast as he looked at Laurel. There was sweat on him too. He seemed scared. Matt clutched his stick angrily as he realized who had sold out Laurel to Vanch and Vivian.

* * *

In the lair, Oliver listened to the recording over and over again.

"I've heard this 15 times", said Oliver as Matt and Diggle walked in, "It's definitely her voice….. I just can't believe it's her."

"We all have blind spots when it comes to family", said Dig.

"Yeah", said Oliver, "Laurel's almost got her killed tonight. Vanch never would have known about her connection to me if Lance hadn't lied to her."

"Not just for family", said Matt, "But for anyone we care about. You told Dig he hadn't known Gaynor for a long time. But you haven't known your mother for a long time either."

"You're right, Matt", said Dig, "Everyone we know changes in time. Sometimes, for the better. Sometimes, for the worse."

Oliver turned the device back on as Moira's voice said, "I made it clear to him persuasively that his plans endangered the Undertaking. I didn't have to make the usual threats."

"What's the Undertaking?" asked Dig.

"I don't know", said Oliver, "But with all this talk about threats, it can't be good."

With a sigh, he said, "You two warned me that she was lying to me to cover up something dangerous. I need to know about this Undertaking."

"What are you going to do?" asked Dig as Oliver rose.

"I think I know", said Matt.

Oliver said, "I think I need to have another chat with my mom."

As Dig realized what he was talking about, Matt said, "I was recently watching the news. Crime is on the rise again in Hell's Kitchen."

Oliver realized what Matt was trying to say.

"Don't worry, Matt", said Oliver, "Hell's Kitchen needs you just like Starling City needs me."

"But it's obvious both our cities are involved", said Matt, "So maybe I might find something there."

"If you do, tell me", said Oliver, "And I will do likewise."

"Thank you", said Matt as the two shook hands.

"Thank you", Oliver said too.

Matt and Dig shook hands as well as he turned to walk out.

"I'm going, for now", he said, "I just need to do something first."

* * *

The cop who was watching Matt and Laurel before now walked out of the building. His name was Marc. He had sold out Laurel to Vanch. He decided he needed to run away from the city as Vanch might tell the cops he was the mole.

As he walked, he was grabbed from behind and slammed into a wall. He fell down. Getting up, he looked back and gasped on seeing Daredevil.

"You answer to Vivian", said Daredevil, "Don't you?"

"Son of a bitch!" snarled Marc, regaining courage. He got up and took out his gun. Before he could do a thing, Daredevil grabbed his wrist and twisted it, causing him to yell in pain.

He threw him back down and threw the gun away.

"You sold out Laurel to Vanch", growled Daredevil, "Go to Lance and confess to him."

"I won't", snarled Marc. Daredevil roared and punched him on the face, breaking his nose. He grabbed his nose in pain but still gave the defiant look.

Daredevil kicked him on the chest, breaking a rib or two. Now he yelled in pain, not being able to take it.

"Tell him!" Daredevil growled, "Or I am coming for you. Choose!"

Marc said, "Okay, okay, I will tell him. Please don't hurt me."

Daredevil nodded as Marc staggered back to the SCPD building past him. He went to Lance and started confessing while Daredevil disappeared into the night.

* * *

Hell's Kitchen, New York

Two leaders of the Gnucci family who were good friends of Tony Gnucci were enjoying in a bar. The bar was owned by the Gnuccis. It was 2 A.M.

Some strippers were dancing near them.

One of the leaders, who was called Meran, said to one of them in a flirty tone, "Want to give me the pleasure of a lap dance?"

As she looked at him seductively, there were several gunshots and people ran around, screaming in terror.

The thugs of the Gnuccis took out their guns to fight but were gunned down rapidly by some men who entered with guns.

"Out!" said one of the men as the strippers ran out.

Meran and the other leader, Jack, made to run out too but a sharp voice commanded them, "Not you two!"

And then from among the gunmen waked out a single man who carried a small gun. The two Gnucci leaders gasped on seeing the man's face. The right half of it was normal. But the left half was badly burnt and some of his gums on that side were burnt off too.

"So I have heard this bar is owned by the Gnuccis", he said casually to them as he picked up a drink and sipped it, "Well, I guess ownership has changed."

"We are soon going to rule Hell's Kitchen", said Meran in a warning tone, "You're making a huge mistake. Walk out of here. And then we will hunt you and kill you. There's nothing you can do."

"I won't do a thing", said the man, "But fate will."

He pulled out a coin. One half of it was normal and the other half was burnt. Looking at Meran, he said, "You first."

He flipped the coin and it landed on the back of his right hand. He looked at it. It was the burnt side. He shot Meran in the head and he fell down, dead.

Jack gasped in fear and looked at the man again. The man flipped the coin again and it landed on the back of his right hand. This time, it was the normal side.

"I guess you'll live", said the man to him, "Now you're going to deliver a message to the other Gnuccis."

"W-what?" asked Jack, trembling with fear.

"That Hell's Kitchen no longer belongs to them", he said, "It is now the property of Two-Face."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. Two-Face is here in Hell's Kitchen. But be assured, he is not the one Malcolm remembered in Chapter 5. We'll see about that later.
> 
> Now some chapters won't be about Starling City because we know what's going on there. But don't worry. That's the main plot so it will come up soon in Hell's Kitchen too. The thing is, now I will do the interesting filler stuff I had planned.
> 
> I think you know who I named the cop who sold out Laurel after. And Meran is a play on the word 'Mericle.' I think you know that person too.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	9. Two faces in Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The war between Two-Face and the Gnuccis escalates. Daredevil gets some unexpected help in stopping Two-Face and also discovers a link between the Gnuccis and the Dark Archer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil, Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.
> 
> Warning- Some bad language

Matt opened the door and walked back into his apartment. It had been weeks since he had been in there.

He drank some water and sat on the couch. He turned on the TV. What the reporter said disturbed him.

"It has been reported that Harvey Dent, the former district attorney of Gotham City, now the notorious crime lord known as Two-Face, has been spotted in Hell's Kitchen."

Matt's expression turned grim and brooding. Out of all criminals he had heard of, he hated Harvey a lot because the man was a district attorney once. And now, he had betrayed the law, the system, everything he stood for, and become a crime lord.

Matt decided that Two-Face must not last in Hell's Kitchen for long.

* * *

 

Ma Gnucci slammed her fist on the table in a rage.

"Who the fuck does that man think he is?" she growled angrily, "Harvey Dent is going to pay!"

Looking at Jack, she asked, "How dare you show me your face after running out from there, you coward?"

"They killed everyone", Jack argued with a shaking voice to defend himself, "I barely escaped with my life."

"It would have been better if you had paid with it", declared Ma as she rose while Jack paled.

"Ma-"

A gunshot to the head from Ma permanently silenced him.

She turned towards Tony and Dino.

"Tell everyone to get ready", she said to them, "We're at war."

* * *

 

Harvey and his men entered the building where the Gnuccis kept some of their money and gunned down everyone there.

"Boys", said Harvey, "This money is ours now. And all the money we have, let's lock it up here."

The men complied as Harvey sneered.

Soon, Hell's Kitchen would belong to him and no one would be able to stop him. Not even Daredevil.

* * *

 

Next day, some bank employees were working overtime in Chase Bank 2. It was 2 A.M. They had decided to take the next day off because of that.

But suddenly, there were gunshots in the air and they all screamed as Harvey arrived with his men.

"Everything you have", said Harvey, "Put it in these bags."

The men brought forth their bags with their guns pointed as the employees begged for their life. One of them had got down discreetly and crawling towards the alarm, pressed it.

As the alarm rang, two of Harvey's men grabbed him and brought him forth.

"Fate wanted you to ring the alarm", said Harvey, "Now fate will decide whether you live or die."

Harvey then flipped his coin. It was the burnt side.

"Goodbye", said Harvey and shot him on the head, killing him.

* * *

 

Eddie came up to the older Gnuccis and said, "I talked to my friend in the NYPD."

"What did he say?" asked Dino.

"Chase Bank 2 is being robbed", he said, "Let's go."

"How do we know it's Harvey?" asked Carlos.

"Because it's bank no. 2", said Eddie, "And it's 2 A.M."

* * *

 

The Gnuccis set out at the same time as the police.

Harvey and his men were engaged in a gunfight with the police outside the bank.

Harvey and his men crouched behind their cars while the police were crouched behind their vans.

The bullets were fired. One of Harvey's men got up and shot down a cop. But then that same man was shot down. Harvey's men and the cops turned to see more cars arrive. It was the Gnucci mafia. Dino drove the car in the lead while Tony's hand was out, with a gun. He had shot down the man.

The Gnuccis got out and joined the fight.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL OUR MEN AND TAKE OUR MONEY?!" roared Dino as they fired at both, the cops and Harvey's men.

"I CAN!" Harvey yelled back.

Some of the Gnuccis were shot down but they returned fire and some of Harvey's men died too.

Suddenly, one of Harvey's thugs got clocked on the head by a club from behind. The club flew back to Daredevil.

One of the thugs turned to him and fired but he flipped to avoid and flip kicked the thug out. Two more thugs attacked him but he ducked and swept one's feet from under him before flip kicking the other out. He hit the first one on the face with the club and he was out.

He leapt over a car and gave a flying kick to a thug, sending him flying off. He flipped to avoid more shots.

He threw his club and knocked another guy out.

Some of the Gnuccis and thugs were firing at each other at close range.

Daredevil rolled under a car and smacked a thug's leg with his club, putting him down and then he knocked him out with the club. Another pointed a gun at him but he kicked him away into another thug and with a flip, knocked him out while the other got hit by the club on the head.

More police vans arrived but Harvey's men continued firing.

"We need more backup!" said one cop.

Harvey decided to get both the Gnuccis and the cops in one go.

He ordered the men to stop firing and said, "Bring up the hammer."

They stepped back as the cops and the Gnuccis rose slightly.

Daredevil suddenly heard something driving at full speed towards the cops and yelled, "GET OUT OF THERE!"

As the cops tried to run off, a truck rammed into their vans. As they tried to sprint away, the fuel tank behind it exploded, killing some of them and some Gnuccis, while some got wounded.

"Damn you, Harvey!" said Daredevil angrily.

The thugs stepped forth to kill the remaining cops and Gnuccis. Daredevil was about to stop them but halted on hearing something like swinging.

The cops tried to crawl back in a last-ditched effort to escape death. Harvey's thugs pointed their guns at them. But suddenly, some kind of white substance shot down from the sky and started snatching the guns into the air.

The last man looked up to see what was going on when his gun was snatched away too. In front of them landed a figure in a red and blue spandex outfit. His chest had a symbol of a black spider on it.

"Hey everyone!" he said in a friendly tone, "Who's ready for their hot fresh cup of baddy harm?

Looking at Daredevil, he said, "Hey, Daredevil! Nice to meet you. Big fan, I'm Spider-Man."

As Daredevil shook his head in an annoyed tone due to Spider-Man's jokes, the men tried to attack him. Spider-Man fired a web at the last man and pulled him towards himself before kicking him away to a distance.

As a thug tried to punch him, he flipped back and then as the man moved closer, he flip-kicked him away to a distance.

The Gnuccis decided it was best to leave and drove away.

Daredevil tied the cable between his sticks on a thug's neck and rolling towards him, swept his feet from under him and knocked him out. He unwrapped the cable and running at a man, grabbed his head between his feet, flipped him to the ground and knocked him out.

Harvey sat in his car with some men and decided to drive away.

"Let's get to our building at 52nd street", he said.

Daredevil heard that as Harvey was driven away and decided to do something about it after the remaining thugs were dealt with.

Spider-Man used his web to pull a dustbin lid and rotating it around, slammed it on a man's head, knocking him out. He rotated it again and this time while being rotated, it hit a thug on the face and he was knocked out.

Daredevil gave a flying kick to a man and he crashed into a car. He turned around and threw his club at another, knocking him out.

Spider-Man now lifted the entire trash can and rotating it around, hit three thugs, knocking them all out, before slamming it on the face of another one.

Another thug tried to sneak up on him but his spider-sense warned him. Turning around, he knocked him out. Another ran at him but he fired a concentrated webbing line at him. The webbing wrapped around him, making him look like a cocoon as he fell down, unable to move.

"See you when you sprout wings", joked Spider-Man.

A last one raised his gun but was knocked out from behind by a punch from Daredevil.

"Good work, kid", said Daredevil.

"So where did sneaky two-faced bastard run off to, Mr. Daredevil?" asked Spider-Man.

"I think he is in a building at 52nd street", said Daredevil, "Probably the one they took from the Gnuccis."

"How do you know that?" Spider-Man enquired.

With a sigh, Daredevil said, "I heard Harvey saying it."

"How did you hear him?" Spider-Man asked, "The fighting was too loud to hear anyone talking."

"Because I have enhanced senses", said Daredevil in an annoyed tone, "They help me hear, smell, taste and feel better than normal humans."

"So you have radar sense?" Spider-Man said, "That is awesome! I have spider-sense myself."

"Good to know", said Daredevil as he started walking off.

"Wait!" said Spider-Man, "So what's our play?"

"Our play?" asked Daredevil, "I prefer to work alone."

"But you were in Starling City for a while", said Spider-Man, "And you worked with The Hood. Why can't you work with your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?"

"You seem like a kid", said Daredevil.

"I'm not a kid", argued Spider-Man, "I have passed college already. Please, Mr. Daredevil, let me come with you."

With a sigh, Daredevil said, "Fine."

"Yay!" said Spider-Man, raising his fist into the air happily, "Bad guys, watch out. Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and The Devil of Hell's Kitchen are coming after you."

Daredevil now regretted letting Spider-Man come with him.

* * *

 

Harvey's men were guarding the safe in the building he had taken from the Gnuccis.

"How long till the boss gets here?" asked one of them.

"He'll be here", said another one.

"I hope Daredevil does not come around", said another one of them.

"I don't think he would come here", said a fourth one, "You guys need to chill the hell out."

Suddenly, a window broke as a figure leapt through it.

"It's Daredevil!"

But as the figure stood up straight, the thugs realized it wasn't him.

"What the hell?!"

It was a woman wearing a black skintight catsuit with two protrusions at the top of her helmet, resembling the ears of a cat. She also wore a pair of spy goggles with red lenses. She had a whip on her side too.

"Sorry to disappoint you, boys", she said in a flirty tone as she brandished her claws, "It's just little old me."

The thugs tried to attack her.

She ducked to avoid one's punch and as she flipped into the air, she gave him a kick on the chin, making him stagger back and after she landed, she gave him a kick in a rotatory motion on the face, knocking him out.

She punched another and leaping into the air, kicked him hard on the face before flipping back while the man was down.

A man grabbed her from behind but she elbowed him, making him let go. She then turned around and gave him a flip kick to the head, taking him down.

She then flipped at a man, bringing her feet down on his head and then she kicked him on the knee, sending him down before flipping him over her shoulder.

She then took out her whip and wrapped it around a thug's neck, using it to pull herself towards him, her claws pointed at his face. The claws hit him and he was down.

She hit another thug with the whip on the face and then leaping into the air, kicked him down too.

She turned to another thug and flipping in the air, hit him on the head. He staggered. She then repeatedly hit his chest and abdomen with her claws, not giving him any opening. As he staggered, she flipped in the air and kicked him on the chest with both feet, sending him down.

He was the last one.

"Now that they are all taken care of", she said, "It's time to get what I came for out of that safe."

She walked up to the safe and managed to crack it.

As she started opening it, she mocked her absent opponent, "Try and get one over me, Harv? I don't think so."

But when she opened the safe, she was shocked to see it empty.

She suddenly felt a gun to the side of her head.

"Get your filthy paws off my safe, now."

* * *

 

Later, Daredevil and Spider-Man arrived there.

Only two thugs were there now.

"So I guess we have to take 'em down", said Spider-Man.

"Of course we do", said Daredevil, "But Harvey isn't here, so one of them has to talk."

"So-"

"Watch me, kid."

Daredevil walked out into the open towards the thugs. The two rushed him. He side-stepped to avoid one's punch and elbowed him out.

The other one came near him but Daredevil kicked him on the knee and he was down.

As Spider-Man walked up to them, Daredevil grabbed the man by the collar and said, "Where is Harvey?"

"I-I don't know", said the man.

"Don't lie to me", said Daredevil and punched him on the face, breaking his nose."

"But he said he doesn't know", argued Spider-Man, a little freaked out by the way Daredevil was hitting the man.

"He's lying", said Daredevil, "I can hear his heartbeat. It faltered."

"So your senses can hear heartbeats too?" said Spider-Man excitedly, "You're so cool."

"Tell me!" Daredevil threatened the man, ignoring Spider-Man.

"Okay, okay", said the thug, "He is in the abandoned courthouse 2 blocks from here."

"What's he doing there?" Daredevil asked him.

"I think he wants to execute someone there", said the thug.

"Who?" asked Daredevil, "Tell me now!"

"Catwoman."

* * *

 

Later, Daredevil and Spider-Man stood on a building.

"We need to stop Harvey before he kills her", said Daredevil.

"Well, let's go", said Spider-Man, "I'll race you there."

As Spider-Man started swinging away, Daredevil muttered, "Kids."

* * *

 

A while later, Daredevil jumped up onto the building in front of the courthouse. Spider-Man already stood there.

"A reminder", said Daredevil to him, "Webs to swing like that. I don't have 'em."

"Noted", said Spider-Man.

Some thugs stood in front of the abandoned courthouse.

"So what's our play?" asked Spider-Man for the second time in 2 hours.

"Follow my lead, kid", said Daredevil.

The building wasn't very high so Daredevil managed to leap down from it easily.

He then casually walked towards the thugs. Such was the arrogance of Harvey now that none of the men had guns.

He threw his club at one thug, knocking him out. As the other thugs turned to him, he rushed one and flipped him on the ground before knocking him out with a punch. He rolled away to avoid being hit by a bat which one of them was wielding. He then kicked that thug on the knee, making him stagger. He then grabbed his head with his legs and put him down before knocking him out too.

He then got up and ducked to avoid being hit by a bat from behind him. He then pushed his leg behind, kicking that thug on the chest. Turning around, he did a flip and hit the thug directly on the face with the side of his thigh, knocking him out.

Two more moved towards him when suddenly a swinging Spider-Man kicked him away near the entrance. As he landed, he used his webbing to trap the other thug's legs and trip him down. He then jumped into the air and with a flip, kicked the thug on the head, knocking him out.

"Just a gift from your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."

One last thug ran at Daredevil who slipped past him and punched him hard on the back of the neck, knocking him out.

The two then opened the courthouse doors and Daredevil said, "There will be ten men right after we go in."

"There are two rules in any fight", joked Spider-Man, "Don't give Bruce Lee any access to nunchakus and don't let Jackie Chan get his hands on any furniture. If we follow 'em, we'll be fine."

Daredevil sighed again and the two walked in. Like Daredevil had said, ten of them were there, two of them armed with bats.

It was a hallway. As the doors closed behind the two, one of the thugs armed with the bat charged. Daredevil ducked to avoid the blow and grabbing his hand, elbowed him, making him stagger as he let go of the bat. Daredevil then smacked him on the head with the back of it, knocking him out. Spider-Man used webbing to pull another thug to him and kicked him away into another one, knocking him out.

Daredevil flipped back to avoid the other thug with the bat and then flipping, kicked him on the head, knocking him out. As two more moved towards him. He blocked one's punch and kicked the other away. He then elbowed the one whose punch he had blocked right on his elbow, making him stagger. He then leapt in the air and kicked him with both feet, sending him down. The other one rushed him again but a punch to the face knocked him out.

Spider-Man knocked out one with a punch and leaping into the air, kicked the other into another one, knocking them both out again. He then fired his concentrated webbing at the last one and once again, turned him into a cocoon.

"Okay, three rules", he said, "Third one is- never corner us in a hallway."

The two then moved forwards and looked down. All of Harvey's men were watching as he stood in front of a vat. None of them had noticed the two heroes.

"The only way to get by in this world is to get ourselves some respect", said Harvey as he played with his coin in one hand, "Fear. That's how we get respect. Show them all how we do things. We should be fair, though. This is a place of justice, after all."

He then muttered to himself, "Screw justice. Kill her, and they'll all fear us."

Turning to his men, he gestured at the red cloth hanging above the vat via rope and said, "Bring out the defendant!"

The cloth fell into the vat, revealing Selina Kyle aka Catwoman hanging above it, upside down.

"You certainly know how to keep a girl hanging, Harv", she quipped, not at all afraid of him, before making fun of his burnt half, "Hey, have you had some work done?"

Harvey angrily gave her a backhanded slap.

"That's for trying to steal from us", he said, "No one steals from us!"

"I'm sorry, I've been a bad kitty", Selina quipped, "The thing is, you stole that money from me first. But if it means that much to you, untie me and I'll make it up to you."

"Let's see if the coin thinks you're telling the truth", said Harvey as he flipped it. It landed on the back of his hand. It was the normal side.

"This court is now in session", said Harvey, deciding to carry out a mock trial instead of killing Selina outright which he would have done if it had been the burnt side.

As the men cheered, he said, "Order in the court!"

As Daredevil scanned the area, Spider-Man said, "So should I go in and save her?"

"No", said Daredevil, "Watch me, kid."

He then used a ladder to climb on a higher spot. Spider-Man followed him. There, on edge, stood a sharpshooter. Harvey had him positioned there to kill any intruder.

"Taking out the thug with the gun is the key", Daredevil whispered to Spider-Man, "Without him, the rest of the room won't be a problem."

Daredevil sneaked up on him and kicked him behind the knee. As he staggered, Daredevil grabbed him in a chokehold until he passed out.

"Today, I present you all with an opportunity", said Harvey to his men, "Or two opportunities. We will be the ruling force of Hell's Kitchen. When the Gnuccis and the Devil are dead, we will rule this place. Or you can just walk out, and then we will hunt you and kill you all! But let's not dwell on the negative."

"So what should I do, Mr. Daredevil?" asked Spider-Man.

"Hang onto the ceiling and help me", said Daredevil.

Spider-Man used his webs to swing up to a ceiling and then he stuck to it, looking down.

Daredevil leapt down right and gave a flying kick to a thug right on the face, knocking him out. As another rushed him Daredevil flipped behind him and kicked him on the head, knocking him out.

"Our friend Daredevil has arrived", said Harvey, "Grab him and cut him in two."

As a thug with a bat attacked him, Daredevil grabbed his hand and kicked him in the abdomen hard, sending him down. He then turned around and punched out another thug.

As two more ran at him Spider-Man fired his webs and used them to hang them upside down.

A thug threw a chair at Daredevil which he evaded. He then leapt at the thug and with a flip, hit him on top of the head, knocking him out. He elbowed a thug behind him and turning around, smacked his face before giving him a flip-kick to knock him out.

Spider-Man used his webs to hang two more thugs. Another thug picked up the chair to throw at Daredevil but Spider-Man used his webbing to snatch it from his hand and then dropped it on his head, knocking him out. Daredevil gave a thug an uppercut, then punched him on the face and with a punch on the nose, knocked him out. He then kicked a thug in a rotatory motion on the face, making him stagger. He then flipped in the air and hit him on the head with the side of his thigh, knocking him out.

Suddenly, two thugs started firing at Daredevil from a distance with automatics. Daredevil crouched to take cover. Harvey stood behind the two shooters and said, "Overruled!"

He then ran back to where Selina was hanging.

Pointing a gun at her head, he asked, "Heads or tails, kitty cat?"

"Which one lets me out of here alive?" she asked.

He flipped the coin and looked at it. It was the burnt side.

"Not this one", he said to her, "Time to die."

"I vote for a stay of execution", she said. Unbeknownst to Harvey, Catwoman had freed herself and was now holding on to the rope. She then scratched the right side of his face with her claws, making him stagger while she flipped and crouched near the vat.

"No gun, Harv?" she mocked, "Shame!"

Brandishing her claws, she said, "This is gonna hurt."

Harvey suddenly brandished the other gun and said, "Two guns, bitch!"

Suddenly, webbing wrapped itself on his legs and he was now hanging upside down, above the vat.

"Geez, calm down with the number 2 already", quipped Spider-Man, "I think 9 is a better number."

Daredevil arrived, having finally taken care of the gunmen.

"And I thought it was cats who have nine lives", Catwoman quipped.

She walked up to the hanging Dent and quipped, "How's it hanging, Harv?"

She then kicked him on the groin and he yelled in pain.

Turning to Daredevil, she said, "Anyone ever tell you that you're full of surprises?"

"Why are you here, Selina Kyle?" asked Daredevil.

"Oh, about that", she said, "This two-faced bastard entered my lair when I was not around and stole my money which he has brought here. I am going to take it back."

Turning to Harvey, she asked, "Where is it?"

"I won't tell you", he sneered.

"Tell us where you hid all the money you have looted", threatened Daredevil, "And tell me, how can you do this? You used to be a district attorney. You used to be Gotham's white knight, you defended the innocent and took on organized crime. Just because half of your face got burnt, you betrayed everything you stood for?"

"The system's broken!" Harvey said angrily, "It is corrupt! If it was as good as it is supposed to be, that witness would have never entered the courthouse with the phial of acid which he threw on me. If you work with them, you would know!"

Daredevil sighed. But he realized Harvey's words did carry some truth. Still, being a crime-lord was no way of getting back at them.

He kicked Harvey on the face and he screamed, "Where is it?"

"It is in another building we took from the Gnuccis", said Harvey, "Three blocks from here."

Daredevil, Spider-Man and Catwoman started leaving when he said, "I have many men there. All of them carry automatics. You won't be able to do a thing!"

"You know", Spider-Man joked again, "No matter how good the guns carried by thugs are, they always miss like Stormtroopers."

* * *

 

The three reached the building but Daredevil did not detect any heartbeat there. Instead, he smelt blood.

"What the hell?" he muttered.

As the three entered, they saw all the men lying dead. There were arrows sticking out of them.

"Oh, my God!" said Spider-Man.

Daredevil examined an arrow. He had examined the other archer's arrow with Oliver and he knew what it felt like. This arrow felt the same.

"Him?" he muttered.

"Who?" Catwoman asked him.

"Not your business, Selina", he said.

"Well", said Catwoman, "I guess my job's easier now."

She walked up to the safe and cracked it. There were bags of money there. Two of them were marked by cat paws. Catwoman took them out and started walking off.

Looking at Daredevil, she said, "Thanks for the assist. You know, you remind me of someone."

"Batman, right?" said Daredevil, "I know the two of you used to team up."

"Yeah, we did", said Catwoman, "By that time, I was a bit of a middle person. Doing a bit of good, and a bit of bad."

"What happened to Batman?" Daredevil asked, "It's been three years since anyone heard of him."

After a sad sigh, Catwoman said, "He's dead."

Daredevil and Spider-Man looked shocked.

"But that's in the past now", she said to them. Walking up to Daredevil, she kissed him on the cheek.

"That's for helping me take down the two-faced sneak", she said as Daredevil touched the spot where he had been kissed. She turned to jump out of the window.

Spider-Man said, "It was nice to meet you, uhhh… Black Cat!"

"It's Catwoman", said Catwoman as she rolled her eyes and jumped out.

"Well, kid", said Daredevil, "It was nice meeting you. Now I am going back."

"Mr. Daredevil", said Spider-Man, "You want to team up again?"

"If circumstances permit me", said Daredevil, "Then yes."

He then jumped out into the night while Spider-Man swung away.

* * *

 

Next day, Matt switched off the TV after hearing the news of Harvey being apprehended. He then picked up the phone Oliver had given him and called him up.

"Yes, Matt", said Oliver as he picked up.

"Oliver", said Matt, "I think I might know the archer's connection with Hell's Kitchen."

"What?" asked Oliver.

"I think you know about the incident with Harvey last night", said Matt.

"I do", said Oliver, "What about it?"

"Well", said Daredevil, "I went to a building which he had taken from the Gnuccis. He had hidden all his money there. But all his men there had been killed by arrows, the same ones used by the other archer."

"What?" said Oliver, "So that means-"

"That whoever he is", said Daredevil, "He is connected to the Gnuccis."

"So what are you going to do?" asked Oliver.

"I have to find out the connection."

* * *

 

Ma sat with Tony and Dino.

"Daredevil is alive and now he is back", she said to them, "I think that archer fooled us."

"And after our war with Dent, we are a little short on resources", said Tony.

"So giving up our money will be a huge blow to us", said Dino.

"Which is why, we won't fund him now."

* * *

 

Malcolm sat in his office. The due date at which the Gnuccis were supposed to send him more money had passed. It was probably because Daredevil was still alive. But he had gone to Hell's Kitchen and killed a lot of Harvey's men which lead to them regaining their building. So if they still didn't give him money, they would be subjected to his killer method of 'persuasion.'

He once again opened his secret door and looked at his Dark Archer suit.

* * *

 

Arkham Asylum, Gotham City

The Dark Archer made his way under the asylum, towards its sewers. Out from the waters, burst some kind of man who looked a lot like a crocodile.

But he was chained up.

"What do you want, man?" he asked.

"Waylon Jones", said the Dark Archer, "I am here to free you."

"My name is Killer Croc!" snarled the creature, "And why do you want to free me?"

"I am going to free you, Killer Croc", said the Dark Archer, "I only want one thing in return, something you will like."

* * *

 

 Dino parked his car near his house and prepared to go inside. Suddenly, he felt someone behind him. As he turned around, he was grabbed and scooped up. He screamed in fear, "WHAT THE HELL?! LET ME GO!"

Killer Croc ripped off his head with his teeth and ate it up. Then he threw down the body and left a note near it, which had been given to him by the Dark Archer.

He then jumped into a manhole and escaped into the sewers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's this theory about Batman being dead in the Arrowverse because he keeps getting referenced and some of his villains appear, but he himself has never made an appearance. So I'm deciding to go with that. It would be fun to have some of his villains around here.
> 
> This is not MCU Spider-Man. He is based on the one from the new Spider-Man PS4 game, which I finally had the good fortune of playing. So he has been around for a while. I hope you liked him here. Catwoman is based on the Arkham version.
> 
> The fighting is inspired from the Spider-Man game and the Batman: Arkham games.
> 
> And now, Malcolm sends out Killer Croc to get the Gnuccis in line.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	10. A crocodile in Hell's sewers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killer Croc arrives in Hell's Kitchen and attacks the Gnucci mafia while coming into conflict with Daredevil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil, Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.

Ma, Tony, Eddie, Bobby and Carlo were gathered around the headless body of Dino, laid on a table. They paid their respects to him.

Ma angrily torn to shreds the note that had been left on the body. The note had said-  _"You will fund my undertaking or each day, some of you will suffer the wrath of this Killer Croc as this creature calls himself."_

"That archer will pay", said Ma, "He will pay and so will this monster he has unleashed."

* * *

Matt walked towards his old firm. 'Nelson and Murdock' was over now, but that building was still where he worked as a lawyer. Due to traffic, he stopped on the footpath for a while, near a manhole.

Suddenly, he heard something like a growl from inside the manhole. He did not fear it, but he was puzzled about what was making the sound. He could also hear a heartbeat from down there. The growl sounded like that of an animal but the heartbeat seemed to indicate the person was a human.

The traffic cleared and Matt walked away, deciding to ignore whatever it was for now.

* * *

At night, two members of the Gnucci mafia smoked in an alley.

"So what do you think killed Dino?" one of them asked the other, indicating that Ma kept most of the info hidden from the thugs used by the family.

"I don't know", said the other one, "But in all honesty, it seems like it was an animal because the head was definitely ripped off."

Suddenly, they heard a growl from behind them and saw a large shadow below them which seemed to be growing larger.

As they looked up, they didn't even have time to gasp as Killer Croc landed near them and picked up the first by the throat.

"HELP US!" yelled the other, taking out his gun and firing. The bullets ricocheted off Killer Croc's chest harmlessly as he ripped off the thug's head with his teeth and ate it up. He then gobbled up the remaining body as the other thug screamed in horror.

* * *

Daredevil was crouched on a building when he heard the thug's scream and the gunshots. As he jumped from building to building to reach the spot, he heard the heartbeat of the thing from the manhole.

He then jumped to another building and realized what had caused the commotion. The other thug was swatted away by Killer Croc.

Daredevil wondered how this weird creature had come to be. But he pushed the thoughts to the back of his head and leapt down.

He landed between the thug and Killer Croc.

"Devil of Hell's Kitchen", growled Killer Croc, "Do not come between Killer Croc and his prey."

In response, Daredevil threw his club at Killer Croc. It deflected off his chest and returned to his hand. As Killer Croc ran at him, Daredevil slid through his legs and was now behind him.

Before Croc could turn, Daredevil leapt at him and grabbed him in a chokehold. During this time, the thug sat in his car and drove away.

Killer Croc angrily staggered around, trying to shake off Daredevil who held onto him. He then managed to grab Daredevil's hand and threw him off. He hit a wall and fell down.

As he jumped at him, Daredevil rolled away again and got up. He then kicked Killer Croc behind the knee, making him stagger a little.

Daredevil now realized his opponent wasn't so invincible after all. His limbs were his weak spots. Killer Croc tried to swat him away with his tail but Daredevil flipped in the air and avoided it.

Killer Croc turned around and tried swatting him away but Daredevil flipped back to avoid him. He then threw the club at his leg and he staggered as it returned to him. He then ran at him and with a leap, hit his arm with the club. Killer Croc retracted the arm and reflexively gripped it with his other one.

He rapidly moved his face towards Daredevil, hoping to rip off his head but he flipped back again and with the cable between the sticks, tied up his neck, trying to suffocate him. Killer Croc gripped it with his hands and then using the cable like a lever, threw Daredevil away who once again hit the wall as Killer Croc freed himself of the cable and threw it away.

As Daredevil tried to get up, Killer Croc lifted him up by the throat to rip off his head. Daredevil then kicked him on his teeth and he staggered again, howling in pain. Daredevil then kicked the arm that had lifted him up with both feet and Killer Croc dropped him.

He then ran and collected his club. He then threw it at Croc's leg and he staggered again. Killer Croc roared and lifted up a nearby car.

"CATCH THIS!"

He threw it at Daredevil who flipped into the air to avoid it. But as he landed, Killer Croc opened a manhole and jumped into the sewers.

Daredevil jumped after him but Killer Croc was a natural swimmer due to his powers and was already too far off. The stench in the sewers repelled Daredevil and he angrily climbed back up.

As he breathed the fresh air again, he wondered how to stop this new threat. But now he did know that Killer Croc was after the Gnuccis. What he couldn't tell was the reason.

* * *

Killer Croc came out of the water after some time and howled in a rage. Unfortunately, once he sniffed someone, he remembered that person's scent and could track him from many miles away. And now his latest victim would be Daredevil.

"I will catch you now, Daredevil", he said, "But first, some other people need to be eaten."

* * *

Ma's eyes burnt with rage as she was told about Killer Croc's latest attack.

"Go out with your best weapons!" she commanded, "Hunt him down! And kill him!"

"Mother, are you sure about this?" asked Bobby, "This creature is powerful!"

"He killed your uncle!" she told him bluntly, "And he will face OUR wrath for that!"

But suddenly, they heard a roar outside.

The door suddenly broke into pieces as Killer Croc entered the lair.

"IT'S TIME FOR MY DINNER!"

"Fire!" commanded Ma.

Everyone fired at him but once again, the bullets ricocheted off his scales. Some of them fired at his legs and managed to slow him down slightly.

Killer Croc angrily swatted away some thugs and leapt into the air. He landed on some thugs, flattening them.

One of them got close to him and fired point blank at his leg with an automatic. Killer Croc roared in pain and angrily lifted him up. He then ripped off his head with his teeth and ate it up. He then gobbled up the headless body too.

Unfortunately for the Gnuccis, Killer Croc used to be a gangster before being incarcerated in Arkham Asylum. He picked up the automatic and started firing at the Gnuccis.

Many of them died instantly as they were pierced by several rounds. Bobby ducked and tried to crawl his way towards Killer Croc to shoot at his feet.

Big mistake!

Killer Croc spotted him and with a leap, flattened him.

"NO!" cried out Ma at the loss of her son.

To rub salt in the wound, Killer Croc picked up the flattened body and ate it up.

"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" she yelled as Carlo brought a grenade launcher.

He fired it at Killer Croc. It exploded on his face and there was a lot of smoke. As the smoke cleared, they saw Killer Croc lying on the ground, not moving an inch.

Carlo cautiously walked up to the body to check if he was dead or not. He put his fingers in front of Croc's nose. There was no breathing.

Turning to the others, he said with a smirk, "He's dead!"

It seemed like Fate wanted to mock Carlo as at that very moment, Killer Croc rose up with an ear-deafening roar. He lifted Carlo and ripped off his head with his teeth, eating him up too.

"NO! MY BOY!" cried out Ma in agony.

As her men fired at Killer Croc again, he slashed them with his claws and flattened them with leaps, before eating up their remains and spitting out any clothes, buttons and belongings.

"What should we do, mother?" Eddie asked her, trying to not break down at the loss of his two brothers.

Seeing the deaths of all the men around her along with her two sons, she realized that there was no way out. But maybe there was one way.

"Transfer the money!" she said to a man, "Do it now!"

The man quickly ran into a room in the corner and came out with a tablet in which he started typing. Killer Croc swatted away the table overturned behind which they were hiding and glared at Ma, Tony, Eddie and the thug.

He lifted up Eddie first.

"NO! NO! WAIT!" Ma cried out desperately in fear for her remaining son, attracting his attention, "We are transferring the money."

Killer Croc stopped and looked at the three. The thug pressed a button and the transfer was done.

Ma took the tablet from him and showed it to Killer Croc, "Look! We transferred the money! Now let him go!"

Killer Croc slowly started lowering Eddie. Ma sighed in relief. Relief turned to horror as Killer Croc suddenly moved Eddie towards his mouth and ripped off his head with his teeth before eating him up.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Tony pulled Ma back as the thug was sliced by his claws and eaten up.

Ma and Tony opened a back door and ran out as fast as they could. Killer Croc looked at the remains of some of the thugs around him which he had not eaten up and decided not to pursue the two remaining Gnuccis as he could eat them up later after he had eaten up all these remains first. Besides, the money had been transferred.

* * *

Ma fell on her knees, wailing in agony, as Tony tried to comfort her vainly.

The once powerful crime boss was broken now, from the outside and from the inside. She had lost all her resources. The remainder of her money had been transferred to the archer. She had refused to fund him because he had not killed Daredevil and because of their recent war with Two-Face. And in return, he had sent something far more horrifying than Daredevil, Two-Face and even himself to destroy them. All her thugs were dead and gobbled up. Her brother and three sons were eaten up by the monster they had escaped. Tony alone was not enough for her to be at peace after all this. At least not while she lived.

She slowly picked up her gun and jammed it to her own head.

"MA! NO!" Tony yelled out as he ran towards her to stop her.

BANG!

It was too late as Ma's lifeless body toppled to the floor. Tony looked at the body, horrified. After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, he ran off into the dark and cold night. Later that night, Killer Croc arrived there after having eaten up the remains of the thugs. And then, he feasted on Ma's remains.

After eating her up, he roared and declared something to his absent opponent.

"Devil of Hell's Kitchen!" he said, "I shall feast on you tomorrow night and only then will I be satisfied!"

* * *

Malcolm sat in his office and smiled on seeing all the money transferred to him. With the transfer done, the Gnuccis had finally served their purpose. If they had sent him the money earlier, he have cut all ties with them but he would not have done this. But because of their decision to not send it to him, he had made Killer Croc kill them all.

Now he hoped the monster's presence distracted Daredevil from his plan.

The plan that would soon come to fruition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I split the Killer Croc arc into two parts. The next part will be up soon. I hope you liked this.
> 
> In the most awful way possible, the Gnuccis have learnt not to piss off Malcolm Merlyn (or Killer Croc for the matter). At first, I thought to spare the Gnuccis so that they can play a minor role later. But I think killing them all is a good way of showing the insanity of Malcolm in whose eyes, their purpose has been served so they are no longer needed. Killer Croc, on the other hand, loves a good meal of human flesh.
> 
> Killer Croc's limbs and face are weak points so I think Daredevil can exploit them in a fight.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	11. Crocodile's last days in Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daredevil and Killer Croc engage in a final showdown as the former learns about the deal between the Dark Archer and the Gnuccis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil, Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.
> 
> So now I wrap up the Killer Croc arc.

It was 6 P.M. The sky was getting dark. Matt was sitting in his firm, reading some case files in braille and deciding what to do.

He was still worried about the situation with Killer Croc. The creature was too strong and durable. And he was a natural swimmer so in a sewer, he could escape any time. That, plus the stench in the sewers was worse for him that other people because of his enhanced smell.

He suddenly heard a thud from a distance and a growl. He then heard heavy footsteps and the heartbeat of Killer Croc.

And then the wall of his firm burst open as Killer Croc stood there.

"I will feast on your flesh tonight, Devil of Hell's Kitchen!" he said.

He charged at Matt who flipped behind him. He strained his senses a little and breathed a sigh of relief on hearing people running away in fear of Killer Croc. Because that way, none of them would see him in action.

Killer Croc's charge had broken his table. Before Killer Croc could turn back, he quickly picked up a broken leg of the table and hit Croc's leg hard, making him stagger a little.

As Croc turned, he once again hit his leg and then his arm. Croc tried to slash him but he ducked and hit his foot again. He then leapt high and hit Croc on the head with it who staggered back.

He tried to hit again but this time, Croc gripped it with his hand and snatched it away. He tried to hit Matt with it who flipped back to avoid. As Croc tried to hit again, he flipped and landed on the table leg. He then leapt from there and gave Croc a flying kick to the jaw, who staggered back.

As Matt landed on the ground, Killer Croc recovered. Before Matt could do a thing, Croc smacked him with the table leg, smashing it into pieces and sending him flying off by a few feet.

Matt flew through the giant hole Killer Croc had made on entering and landed outside.

His glasses had been thrown off. He struggled to get up. Then he heard Killer Croc running towards him. That moment, he got up. As Killer Croc was a few feet from him, he flipped into the air and landed on his head.

Killer Croc staggered around, trying to throw him off. They ended up near some stairs that lead to the top of a building. Matt leapt off Croc's head onto the stairs and started leaping towards the top. He needed to get to his house quickly.

There were no people near his firm as they had ran off in fear of Croc but he still wasn't going to take chances.

He leapt up to the top of the building and ran towards the edge from where he jumped to the other roof. Killer Croc followed him. He leapt from building to building but Croc kept following him. He was now on a partially constructed building where several rods and rebars were still lying around.

He then decided to use a different tactic. He turned around and slid under Croc's feet. Before Croc could turn back, he picked up a rebar and drove it into Croc's feet. Croc gave an ear-deafening roar and staggered before kneeling down.

But Matt knew this wouldn't stop him for long. He leapt off that building and didn't stop till he reached his house. There, he quickly opened his box and wore his suit before putting on his helmet. He kept his club on his belt and jumped out of his window onto a nearby building.

And then he waited for Croc. A growl and his heartbeat from the distance was enough for Daredevil to know Croc was coming.

Croc leapt from a distant building. Between him and Daredevil were two buildings but he managed to cross them in one leap. His leg was now fully healed, as if the rebar had never pierced it.

"Now my teeth will pierce your flesh, Daredevil!" he said.

He once again moved his face towards Daredevil to gobble him up but Daredevil threw his club and it hit his jaw, making him stagger back as Daredevil caught his club.

This Killer Croc was strong, fast, ruthless, dangerous and had a healing factor but he was stupid which was why Daredevil he repeatedly used the same tactics against Daredevil and was beaten back in the same ways.

Daredevil then kicked Killer Croc's leg in a spin motion and then he kicked it again in a spin motion from the other side. He then flipped and kicked the leg again. As Croc staggered back, he ripped off a water tank and threw it at Daredevil who was running at him. Daredevil slid on his knees as the tank passed over his head and fell down the roof.

As he got up though, Croc picked him up by the throat. This time, Daredevil had the club in his hand and tied up his neck with the cable, trying to suffocate him again. As Croc let him go, he leapt around him and tied his neck even more, hoping to suffocate him enough for him to go down. He then stood behind him, having tied up his neck tightly with the cable.

"Why are you killing the Gnuccis?" he asked Killer Croc as he needed to solve that mystery.

"I'm not killing them!" Croc gasped aloud.

"What?" asked Daredevil.

"I already ate them all!"

"All?" asked Daredevil in horror.

"Oh! Not all!" Croc said as he remembered something, "The brother of that woman who lead them escaped."

Dino had been declared officially dead some time ago so it had to be Tony who had narrowly escaped Killer Croc's clutches.

At that moment, Killer Croc got up and threw Daredevil off him while giving an ear-deafening roar. Once again, he removed the cable from around his neck.

Before Daredevil could get up, Croc ran up to him and kicked him hard, sending him flying off the building and landing hard on the other.

Before he could get up, Croc jumped onto the building and picked him up by the throat. He was angered by this little human who had landed so many hits on him and nearly beaten him. So instead of eating him up directly, he then threw him down, preparing to crush him slowly with his foot. Daredevil deserved the most painful death ever for fighting him like that.

As he raised his foot to crush Daredevil, he roared again. That moment, his mouth was shut by a web.

"INCOMING!"

A swinging figure kicked him on the chest, throwing him off the roof. It was Spider-Man.

"Mr. Daredevil", he said as he helped him up, "You okay?"

"I think I will break a few things", said Daredevil dryly, "But other than that, I'm okay."

"What the hell is that?" asked Spider-Man.

"A giant man-eating crocodile", said Daredevil.

At that moment, Killer Croc leapt back up, a murderous glare in his eyes.

"I WILL EAT YOU, BOY!"

He rushed Spider-Man who also slid under his feet. He then trapped his legs in webbing and tripped him.

"Eat your heart out, Steve Miner", commented Spider-Man.

Killer Croc rose up and pounced on Spider-Man who leapt up and kicked him on the jaw, making him stagger back. Due to his superhuman strength, his hits damaged Croc a lot more than Daredevil. But that didn't mean Daredevil would stay out of the fight.

Daredevil leapt up and gave Croc a flying kick on the back of the head. He then flipped midair and hit Croc's head with the club, making him roar in anger. Spider-Man again shut his mouth with a web.

"You're more annoying than the crocodile who swallowed an alarm clock", Spider-Man joked, referring to a popular crocodile in pop culture for the second time in the fight.

As Croc lunged at him, he leapt off the roof and onto the ground where Croc followed him. The civilians screamed and backed in fear at the sight. Daredevil leapt off the roof and hit Croc with the club at the top of the head. He once again grabbed Croc from behind and vainly tried to choke him as Croc staggered around.

Spider-Man used took full advantage of the opportunity. He fired his webs at Croc and quickly tied them up large poles and walls of buildings nearby. Killer Croc slowed down due to the strength of the webs as Daredevil leapt off him.

As he tried to lunge at Spider-Man, he failed.

"Tic-toc, tic-toc", Spider-Man teased him.

He then leapt into the air and gave Croc a flying kick on the head, knocking him out.

"Great job, kid", said Daredevil as he patted his back, "And thanks for the assist."

"No problem, Mr. Daredevil. And thank you for the compliment", said Spider-Man, "You know, it's weird, as a kid, Lake Placid scared the crap out of me. I always found the crocodile very, very, scary, and now here I am, battling a humano-"

He stopped on realizing Daredevil wasn't next to him anymore. He wasn't in the vicinity.

"That is awesome!"

* * *

Tony Gnucci stood in an alley and smoked a cigarette. He was still shaken after the horrifying ordeal the previous day. All his thugs had been brutally slaughtered and eaten. His brother and nephews too. And his sister had put a bullet in her head.

He was now broken and aimless. Suddenly, Daredevil landed in front of him. In this state of depression, he couldn't even bring himself to attack the vigilante he had hated and feared.

"What do you want?" he asked in a resigned voice.

"Just tell me", said Daredevil, "Why did Killer Croc kill the Gnuccis?"

Tony knew it was no use hiding the info now. And now, maybe, Daredevil would track down the archer and beat hm.

"A few months ago, we were approached by an archer", he told Daredevil who was shocked to hear that but did a great job at hiding it, "He told us he would kill Daredevil if we funded him."

"Why did he want you to fund him?" Daredevil enquired.

"He said he was carrying out some kind of undertaking", said Tony, "He would build osme device to destroy a certain area. He wanted us to fund that in return for him killing Daredevil. But he didn't, and then we were attacked by Two-Face. So in anger, we decided to not transfer the money. In retaliation, he-"

"Sent Killer Croc to force you to transfer the money and then slaughter you all", Daredevil said in realization.

"Yes!" said Tony.

Daredevil could sense his inner depression so he decided that just letting him be was enough punishment for his misdeeds. He jumped up to a roof and jumped back home.

* * *

Next day, Matt called up Oliver.

"Yes Matt", said Oliver as he picked up the call, "I saw the thing with Killer Croc on TV. Are you all right?"

"I am fine", Matt assured him, 'But I have finally discovered what he did in Hell's Kitchen."

"What?" asked Oliver.

"Few months ago", Matt began, "He approached the Gnucci mafia and offered to kill me if they funded him in return. But he didn't and then there was the war with Two-Face. So they didn't fund him. In retaliation, he sent Killer Croc after them to force them to transfer the money and then slaughter them to tie up loose ends."

"Oh no!" Oliver gasped on the other end before asking what he most dreaded, "And why did he need funding from the Gnucci mafia?"

"He is carrying out an undertaking", revealed Matt, "One that will destroy a certain area with a device."

"What the hell?" was all Oliver could say.

"My investigation in Hell's Kitchen is done", said Matt matter-of-fact, "So now, in a while, I'm coming back to Starling City to help you stop him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now, Matt will be back in Starling City. I hope you liked the Two-Face arc and the two part Killer Croc arc. Now, we move back to Arrow Season 1. During this time, Oliver has recruited Felicity (who won't be a bad character in this fic as it takes place in Season 1), and he has beaten the Dodger.
> 
> So now we move on to 1x16.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	12. Dead to Rights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Triad try to assassinate Malcolm Merlyn and it is up to Daredevil and The Hood to stop them. Matt and Laurel make a decision about their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil, Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.
> 
> So now we are back to Arrow Season 1. We're now on 1x16.

A helicopter landed on a pad at the Starling City Heliport.

A well-dressed man walked out of the chopper. He straightened his coat and then he took out his phone and called up the one who had hired him, "I've just landed in Starling City. We agreed- half on arrival, the other half when the job is done.

Then he looked at his banking app which showed a successful transfer of $ 500,000.

Lifting the phone back to his ear, he said with a smile, "Gracias. Don't worry, the man's as good as-"

An arrow knocked the phone out of his hand. He first looked at where the phone had fallen and then turned to the direction from where the arrow had come.

The Hood stood a few feet from him.

"Guillermo Barrera", he growled to him, "You have failed this city."

"You've built quite a reputation", Barrera commented.

"And you should have stayed overseas", said The Hood.

"I thought about it", said Barrera, "But then I remembered, I've got a reputation too."

He brandished two throwing knives from his sleeves, putting them in his hands. The Hood fired an arrow which he deflected with his knives. He then threw one at him which he dodged while firing another arrow which was deflected.

As the two neared each other, The Hood spun around and managed to get to Barrera's side. Barrera tried to punch which he blocked and then punched him away, making him stagger. Barrera tried to punch him thrice but he blocked all of them and punched him. He tried to punch again which The Hood deflected but he managed to kick him on the side of his thigh in a spin motion.

The Hood suddenly took out an arrow and drove it into Barrera's heart. Barrera staggered and fell down, dead. The Hood picked up his phone and as police vans arrived, he was gone.

McKenna got out of her car and saw Barrera's dead body. She picked up a fallen arrow and looked it and then the body.

* * *

Felicity was thrown down on a mat and groaned. As she sat up, John gave her a hand and pulled her back up.

"Now the trick is to keep your weight evenly distributed", said Matt to her as he had been observing the entire fight.

"I thought the trick was to avoid getting into fights", said Felicity. Matt gave an annoyed sigh. As much as he hated to admit it, he liked Spider-Man's jokes as they actually relieved people in a tense situation. Felicity's jokes showed that while she was smart about tech-related stuff, she didn't have much intelligence when it came to the wider world. And sometimes, her snarky comments seemed cruel and heartless. But that was because she did not have proper social skills so it was unintentional on her part.

Dig still chuckled at the joke and threw her a towel.

"Yeah, well", he said, "New York and Starling are not the kind of places where you can talk your way out of trouble."

"But people like you can definitely talk your way into trouble", joked Matt though it had a serious undertone.

Walking over to her, he said, "Besides, if you're going to be working with us, I'll sleep a lot better knowing you can handle yourself."

He gave her a bottle and said, "At least a little."

Felicity took the bottle from him and took a long sip of water gratefully.

"John's right", said Matt, "Pepper sprays don't always work."

Matt then heard a familiar heartbeat and said, "Oliver's back."

Oliver walked in and John asked, "How'd it go?"

"Badly for him", said Oliver as he put his bow down.

"Who's him?" Felicity asked.

"An assassin for hire with an affinity for knives", said Oliver, "His name was Guillermo Barrera."

"Was?" asked Felicity in a sad tone as Oliver crossed his name from the List.

"Why do you sound sad about the death of a man who was an assassin?" asked Matt.

"Well", said Felicity, "He was still a human."

"Who killed other humans", said Matt angrily, "Innocent people with sons, daughters, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers."

Felicity silently contemplated Matt's words.

"So we can't ask him about his intended target", said John.

"No", said Oliver as he turned to face the three. He pulled out Barrera's phone from the pocket and handing it to Felicity said, "Which is why I need you to hack his phone. Barrera's world class. He kills high profile targets. And whatever job he was hired for isn't finished. We need to figure out who he was here to kill, and fast. They are probably still in danger, OK?"

Felicity took the phone and nodded.

"I have to meet McKenna", said Oliver as he moved to get changed.

"Good thing she didn't meet you at the Heliport", joked Dig, "May not be a good idea to fall for the cop that's hunting you down."

"Well, its slim pickings for us vigilantes", said Oliver sarcastically.

"You may be sarcastic right now but you might be right", said Matt, "I don't think we have many romantic options around."

"Well", said Oliver, "You still have one viable option."

"What?" asked Matt in confusion.

"Laurel!" said Oliver matter-of-fact.

"Laurel?" asked Matt with a chuckle, "I already told you. We're past that phase. We're just really good friends now."

"I think you can hear your own heart beating fast", joked Dig as he friendlily punched Matt on the shoulder.

* * *

In the hallway outside Laurel's apartment, McKenna was putting on her shoe while leaning against a wall as Matt and Oliver arrived.

"Hey", he said with a smile, "Sorry I'm late."

"I'm gonna go in", said Matt and walked inside.

"No, I am", she said, "I just got caught up at the office."

"Me too", said Oliver as he looke her over and complemented, "You look nice."

The two shared a kiss.

"Ooh", she said as they broke apart, "We should go inside too."

"We should", agreed Oliver and the two started kissing again.

"We don't seem to be going inside", she said as the two chuckled and finally went inside.

"Welcome", said Tommy as Oliver gave him a gift bag and a hug saying, "Happy birthday, buddy."

"Thank you", said Tommy gratefully, "Oh, this feels like Chateauneuf de Pape"

"It tastes like one too", said Oliver, closing the door as Tommy lead the two of them inside.

"You are a true friend", he said, "Thank you."

"Tommy", said Oliver as he introduced his girlfriend, "You remember McKenna Hall."

"From back in the day", said Tommy with a smile.

"And back again", she joked. They chuckled as they moved into the dining room where Matt and Laurel were lighting candles on the table.

"Ollie", she said happily, "Hi."

"Hi", he replied. The two hugged as Oliver said to the lawyers, "Laurel, Matt, this is-"

"McKenna Hall", said Laurel, "Me and Matt know her from the courthouse."

"How are you, counsellors?" asked McKenna jokingly, easing the tension.

"I am totally fine, Detective", said Matt to her.

"I am well too, Detective", said Laurel.

"I'm going to crack this open", said Tommy as he hefted a wine bottle.

"Come in", Laurel said to McKenna. Hall moved deeper and looked around, "Such a nice apartment. So much space."

She noticed an old picture of a younger, brown-haired girl with a younger Quentin as they happily observed a black canary in a cage, "Oh, this is so adorable. How old are you here?"

Laurel looked at the picture with some sadness and said, "That's actually my sister, Sara."

While Laurel smiled outside, Matt knew she was crying a river inside as old feelings for her sister were resurfacing.

"Oh, I am so sorry", McKenna apologized, feeling embarrassed.

"No, no, it's okay", Laurel assured as they looked at the picture again, "I don't know why my father bought her that canary. That thing chirped night and day."

After laughing lightly, she said, "Drove us all nuts."

"Well then, I'm glad never having heard it", said Matt with a smile.

"A toast", said Tommy as he returned with some glasses and handed them to everyone, "To the first birthday I have enjoyed in a long time."

Looking at Oliver, he said, "I got my best friend back."

Looking at Matt and Laurel, he said, "And now I know that there are good-hearted lawyers still around in the world."

Matt and Laurel smiled at that, feeling flattered as the latter said, "Happy birthday, Tommy."

"Thank you", he said with a smile.

"Cheers", said Oliver as everyone repeated it and clicked their glasses. As they sipped the wine, there was a knock on the door.

"I think that's the food", said Laurel as she handed her glass to Matt and walked up to the door.

When she was out of earshot, Oliver sighed in relief, "Oh, thank God she didn't cook."

"Amen", said Tommy.

"I know the feeling", said Matt who had gotten it worse than them due to his enhanced sense of taste.

Laurel opened the door to see- Malcolm Merlyn.

"Mr. Merlyn", she said in surprise after regaining her composure.

"Laurel", he greeted with a smile, "Can I come in?"

Laurel moved aside as Merlyn walked in.

He walked towards the small group with a smile and said, "Oliver."

"Mr. Merlyn", he replied politely.

"Mr. Murdock" said Malcolm to Matt with a smile, "I have heard about you."

The two shook hands as Matt said, "Likewise, Mr. Merlyn."

Turning to Tommy, he said, "I've been trying to get in touch with you."

"What are you doing here, Dad?" asked Tommy.

Malcolm took out a small gift box and said, "Happy Birthday, Tommy."

Tommy looked at Malcolm for a moment and turning to the others said, "Give us a second."

"Of course", said Laurel.

Tommy gestured Malcolm to follow him to the hallway. Malcolm tossed the gift box to Oliver and followed.

"We're about to eat", said Tommy as they reached the hallway.

"I can't stay", said Merlyn.

"Well, that works out because you weren't invited", said Tommy.

Malcolm gave a smile and withdrew an invitation from his jacket, "I'm being honored by the Starling City Municipal Group. They're bestowing me with their annual Humanitarian Award."

"What, they ran out of actual humans to give it to?" asked Tommy sarcastically.

"I would like you to be there, if you could", said Malcolm in a hopeful tone.

"I am 100% certain that I'll be busy", said Tommy as he started walking back but Malcolm stopped him by firmly gripping his arm. Tommy looked down at his father's arm and then back up.

"You might not believe it", said Malcolm sincerely, "But all I ever wanted for you was happiness. If it will allay the tension between us, I will turn the switch back on."

"Save your money, Dad", replied Tommy, "I don't need it anymore."

"I'd still like you to come to the event", said Malcolm as he pressed the invitation into Tommy's hand, "It would mean a lot to me."

He started walking off but Tommy's voice stopped him, "You know what, Dad?"

Malcolm turned around as Tommy walked up to him, "Sometimes the people you want there the most- Aren't", he pressed the invitation to his father's jacket above his heart.

"You taught me that", he said, "Multiple times."

Tommy turned and walked back into the apartment as Malcolm stood there for a moment, watching the invitation flutter away to the floor. He then turned and walked off.

* * *

In Bludhaven Apartments, a tall man walked into his apartment and poured himself a drink.

"Hello Lawton", said a voice from down the hall, "I see your edge has dulled."

"Oh, I knew you were there", said Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot, "I just didn't care if you kill me. What do you want?"

"My organization has been contracted to eliminate a certain high profile individual", said the woman who was none other than China White as she came into the light, "A very well-guarded target."

"Well, forget it", said Lawton, "Look, I'm retired."

"To drink and smoke your life away?" asked White.

"We all got to die some time", said Lawton with a shrug. He had felt dead ever since The Hood had put an arrow in his left eye during their fight. Without his perfect eyesight, he wasn't the best marksman like he used to be.

"I need someone to die at the right time", said White, "And no one does it better than you."

Lawton came into the light and showed her his dead left eye, "My vision ain't exactly what it used to be."

"No", said China as she opened a case and showed its contents to Lawton, "It's going to be better."

Floyd lifted the small red device and looking at it said, "Looks like someone needs two bullets in the chest. But tell me, if The Hood attacks me like he did during my last assassination, what will I do?"

"We have that taken care of", said White with a smirk, "We have connections to a businessman named Damon Dran. He lent us his best assassin some time ago on a temporary basis. Though he doesn't like doing small jobs like killing random targets."

And then out from the shadows stepped a man wearing a black martial arts suit with a blue dragon on the back.

"This is Itto Yamura", she said with a smirk, "He calls himself the Blue Talon. He will protect you from any attack."

"Let's put two bullets in someone's chest."

* * *

At Merlyn Global, Moira hurried towards the conference room for a meeting with The Tempest.

"Moira", called out Frank Chen as he walked up to her, "Is it happening?"

"Yes", Moira confirmed, "The Humanitarian Award Ceremony."

"Isn't that a little public?" asked Frank in a concerned tone.

"No one will expect it", said Moira as they opened the doors and sat next to two other members while Malcolm looked out of his office window.

"I have very welcome news to share with all of you", Malcolm said as he walked to the head of the table, "Thanks to Queen Consolidated's Applied Sciences Division and their recent acquisition of Unidac Industries and also another source I have, the Undertaking which we set for ourselves is only months away from fruition."

With a smile, he said, "There's hope on the horizon for everyone in Starling. We won't fail this city."

"And I think I speak for everyone here when I say we're all with you, Malcolm", said Moira pleasantly.

* * *

In the lair, Felicity was working hard on Barrera's phone while Matt, Oliver and John stood near her anxiously.

"Jeez, this is one paranoid assassin", she said, "Barrera's got cobalt-level encryption on his phone. It's not going to be easy to break. But code breaker is my middle name", after pausing for a moment she said, "It's actually Megan-"

"Felicity", Matt interrupted, "Can you get anything off it?"

"Just the last number he dialed", she said as she showed them the info.

"Which was?" asked Oliver.

"A restaurant in China Town", she said as she showed them, "A Jade Dragon. I guess even hired killers enjoy the city's best chow mien."

"Yeah", said Dig, "Jade Dragon is a front for the Chinese Mafia."

"Call the restaurant", said Oliver, "Make a reservation for two for tonight."

Looking at Felicity, he said, "You need to decrypt that phone."

As he walked off, Felicity said, "I'm kind of in the mood for Chinese right now."

"You decrypt that and I will give you all the Chinese you want", said Matt.

* * *

At Jade Dragon, Oliver and Tommy sat on the opposite sides of a table and joked.

A waiter arrived and gave them a whole fried fish on a large plate. As he walked off, Tommy said, "That is… that is one big fried fish."

After the two laughed, Oliver said, "I was told this was the most authentic Szechwan in town."

After a shake of the head, he said, "Whatever. I wanted to make sure that your birthday celebration got its due celebration. It was, um, a little bit tense last night."

"Well, trust my dad to run all the smiles out of the room", sighed Tommy.

"He did come by", pointed out Oliver, "And he was trying to act a little bit dadlike."

"'Dadlike'", said Tommy, "That sums up my father perfectly."

"I knew the two of you have never been close", said Oliver, "But it couldn't have been easy for him after your mom was killed."

"Yeah, I guess he forgot there were two of us in that club", said Tommy.

"I'm not defending him Tommy", said Oliver, "It's…. with everything I've been through, people I've lost, I know how hard it can be."

Tommy nodded and said, "You probably don't remember this. Uhh…. We were eight, but after her funeral, he left for like, two years. And when he did come back, he was….. he was so frickin' cold. We barely spoke. And that's why I spent so much time at your house. From the outside, it always looked like I had a father. He paid my bills, lived in the house, and he bailed me out."

With a smile then, Tommy said, "But your dad took me to my first hockey game. Your dad taught me how to fly fish. Your dad took us to our first R-rated movie."

"But he wasn't perfect", Oliver admitted, "My dad made mistakes. And….. we haven't talked about this, but I have a lot of anger towards him. But still, I would give anything to have him back, because… at the end of the day, your dad is…. your dad."

With an emotional sniff, Tommy said, "I meant what I said last night. I'm really glad that you're back."

The two smiled as Tommy started eating the fish. Oliver suddenly saw a large Asian man with a tattoo on his neck walk past them.

"I got to hit the restroom", he said to Tommy.

The man moved through the kitchen as he pulled out a packet from his coat and then he reached the back room where a small Asian man was counting money.

The big man pulled out his money from the packet and handed it to the accountant but before he could put it into the electronic cash counter, the lights suddenly went out.

The big man pulled out a gun and looked around when suddenly Oliver leapt on top of him and slammed him to the ground, knocking him out.

Oliver then grabbed a squeeze bottle of hot sauce and sprayed it into the accountant's eyes, blinding him.

The accountant tried to run out but Oliver threw him down. As he got up, Oliver grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the wall.

" _The Triad put a hit out on someone"_ , growled Oliver in Mandarin,  _"I want to know who."_

" _I don't work for the Triad!"_  protested the accountant.

" _You're not making Dim Sum back there"_ , quipped Oliver as he tightened his grip.

" _I….I don't know who it is"_ , said the accountant in fear.

" _But you know something"_ , said Oliver,  _"Tell me."_

" _Tomorrow, whatever it is, it's supposed to happen tomorrow"_ , said the accountant.

Oliver let him go and quickly slipped out of the room as the big man got up.

" _Who was it?"_  he asked the accountant.

" _I don't know, but whoever it was, spoke with a perfect accent. Definitely Chinese"_ , said the accountant.

The big man headed into the dining room but failed to find whoever had done it. Oliver sat on his table calmly as the man walked past him.

"Check please", he said to the waiter.

* * *

Quentin's phone rang as he picked it up, "Lance."

"The Triad have hired a contract killer", said The Hood from the other end.

"Yeah? You mean the one you put in the morgue?" said Lance in an annoyed tone, "Congratulations. You're the talk of the station again."

"They hired one, they're going to hire another, Detective", argued Oliver.

"Who's your target?" asked Lance with a sigh.

"I'm trying to find out but I'm hitting a dead end", said Oliver, "I need you to put your people on it."

"My people don't work for you", snapped Lance, "And come to think of it, neither do I."

"It's not about you and me, Detective", Oliver argued, "It's about saving a life."

"Call me back when you get a name", said Lance with a sigh as he cut the call.

"Hall", he called out, catching her attention.

"Yes sir?" she asked.

"You and me", he said, "We're going to catch that vigilante."

* * *

At the docks, China White gave her men a briefing of their mission while Yamura stood calmly in the shadows.

"There are five exit routes from the main floor that need to be cut off", she said as she circled around her men, "Once the fire alarm goes off, we'll have less than 30 seconds to disable Merlyn's private security and force him outside with the others. Once he's outside, the rest will be up to Mr. Lawton, who is safe from any attack thanks to Mr. Yamura."

Lawton stood there, wearing his suit with the artificial eye over his dead one. With a smirk, he said, "Roger that."

* * *

The Humanitarian Bereft was being held in Merlyn Global. Moira was talking to the others in the crowd.

"You look beautiful", said a familiar voice from behind her.

Moira turned to see Malcolm standing there in his tuxedo with a smirk on his face and said politely, "Thank you."

"If you're free", he offered with a smile, "Maybe after the ceremony, we could have dinner and talk like we used to."

"I'd like that", she said with a smile of her own.

As some feedback came through the speakers, Malcolm chuckled and said, "That's my cue."

He walked towards the stage as Frank Chen arrived and said to Moira, "I've been trying to avoid him all evening."

"If we didn't show, it'd look suspicious", Moira pointed out.

As she handed a flute of champagne to Chen from a waiter and took one for herself, he asked, "How can you talk to him that way? As if nothing's about to happen?"

"I've been living this life for five years" said Moira, "Five more minutes won't matter."

The two clinked their glasses and took a sip.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen", said Pike on the mike as the crowd quieted down, "Now tonight's honoree needs very little introduction. It's neither his wealth nor his name that we celebrate here tonight. But it is his efforts in making Starling City a better and safer place to live. So please, help me welcome Starling City's humanitarian of the year- Mr. Malcolm Merlyn."

Everyone applauded as Malcolm walked to the stage with a smile and gratefully shook hands with Pike as he accepted the award while waving to the crowd.

Among the crowd was China White in a white dress and a brunette wig. She took a flute of champagne from a waiter, who was one of her assassins in disguise. He looked back and saw another of her assassins who was disguised as a waiter moving about.

The real waiters' bodies were lying in a storage room in the back.

* * *

Matt and Laurel were sitting together in her apartment, again exchanging old funny stories and jokes.

"And then Foggy thought I was in bed with a woman", said Matt as the two chuckled.

"Remember the time we were caught trying to have a quickie in the lecture room?" asked Laurel with a chuckle as Matt said with an embarrassed laugh, "I wish I could forget it."

After a sigh, he asked, "You remember the night from two weeks ago?"

"Which one?" she asked and when Matt looked a little grim, she said, "Oh! The night I was kidnapped."

"Not the kidnapping", said Matt, "What happened after the kidnapping."

"Oh!" said Laurel who still remembered how they had almost kissed, "Yes I do. What about it?"

"Honestly", said Matt, "I'm not sure. But that day, when you were abducted, I felt… terrified."

"You did?" asked Laurel as she looked at him curiously.

"I don't know what this is", said Matt, "But being with you again, all the feelings, they're just….. they're coming back."

"Okay", said Laurel with a sigh, "You know….. I'm feeling it too."

"Oh!" said Matt, "We both are feeling something."

After a moment of silence, Matt said, "Interesting."

"I don't know if going down this road again would be a good idea", said Laurel.

"I don't know that either", said Matt, "But I just feel like….. I feel if we don't try it out, I will regret it."

"Maybe", said Laurel, "I am actually feeling the same. Maybe we should… just live in the moment."

"Live in the moment", said Matt with a smile.

By now, their faces were inches apart. This time, nothing stopped them as their lips touched and they were in a deep, passionate kiss. For the first time in a long time, both of them felt like there was hope in their lives.

* * *

Downstairs in the Foundry, Felicity and Diggle were hard at work while Oliver and McKenna were having a picnic upstairs in the unfinished club.

"Come on, come on", Felicity groaned in frustration when the computer suddenly beeped, "I'm in! Yes!"

Dig walked up to her and putting down a cup of coffee, "Way to go, Felicity Smoak."

"You don't happen to speak Spanish, do you?" she asked him.

"Arabic", he said.

"Oh, le sigh."

She ran the translation program and both of their eyes widened in shock at what they saw.

"Oh, my God", said Dig.

* * *

As Oliver and McKenna were having a tender moment, Dig walked up and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Queen. The I.T. Department has that item you requested."

Oliver smiled tightly at McKenna and said to her as he got up, "One sec."

"Okay", she said.

Oliver walked over to John and asked, "You found the target?"

"Oliver, the target is Tommy's father", said Dig.

"At the awards ceremony?" said Oliver as he remembered that Tommy had decided to attend it after all, "Tommy's there."

* * *

Matt and Laurel continued making out on her couch when Matt's phone rang.

"Damn it!" said Matt as he got off her and picked it up.

"Yes!" he said.

"The target is Tommy's father", said Oliver from the other side.

"What?" asked Matt as he got up.

"At the awards ceremony", said Oliver, "Reach there quickly. I'm on my way."

Matt cut the call and walked to Laurel. He took her face in his hands and said, "I'm sorry. Something came up at work."

"Its fine", she assured him as the two shared another quick kiss and he walked away.

His expression turned a little grim as he felt bad about lying to her.

* * *

At the benefit, Malcolm gave his speech, "The true humanitarian in the Merlyn family was my wife, Rebecca. Many of you here knew her. She tirelessly devoted herself to helping those less fortunate in the Glades. I like to think that if the man who murdered her knew her, knew the work that she did, knew the person that she was, he would have helped her to her car, made sure she was safe, instead of stealing her purse and shooting her."

He paused and looked at Tommy who stood in the audience. After giving him a small smile, he continued, "The truth is, I haven't done enough for this city. My city. I failed it. But I promise you, I am not finished yet."

Moira listened to the speech before looking over at Tommy who was smiling proudly at his father. Her calm face managed to betray some emotion as she realized she was going to have his father murdered in front of him.

"I promise you that this city will be better for all of us", said Malcolm, "And that day, I will look at this beautiful award, and feel like I have earned it. I thank you."

The crowd applauded while Tommy raised a glass with a smile as Malcolm walked down and shook hands with them. Suddenly, the fire alarms went off.

The speaker advised everyone to move out in an orderly fashion. Malcolm looked around to look for his son. He then spotted two of his bodyguards being stabbed by the waiters in white coats from behind.

"Tommy!" he gasped and ran around, frantically trying to look for him.

* * *

On the roof of the opposite skyscraper, Lawton waited patiently for his target but realized he wasn't taking the bait.

"Merlyn's not taking the bait", he said to White via comms, "Change of plans."

White said, "I don't like improvisation."

"Drive him upstairs to his penthouse office", Lawton instructed, "I need to switch vantage points."

* * *

"What the hell is going on?"

Tommy turned to see a white-haired man with a bushy moustache and a bright smile standing next to him.

"Is some marvelous superhero giving a performance outside?" he asked Tommy who looked at him in confusion.

"Tommy! Tommy!" said Malcolm as he ran up to him and grasped his arm, getting his attention, "Come with me."

He lead Tommy to the escalators.

"There's an exit on the second floor", he said, "I wasn't leaving until I knew you were safe."

They ran up the stairs but at the end of the hall, two men disguised as waiters with SMP's fired at them and they hid behind a protruding column as bullets passed by.

Suddenly, The Hood crashed through a window and fired an arrow, killing one of them. He hid behind an opposite column as the other man continued to fire.

"Go somewhere safe", he ordered the Merlyns, "I'll hold them off. Go now!"

The Merlyns ran to the stairs.

"Come on!" said Malcolm.

"Where are we going?" asked Tommy.

"Up", said Malcolm.

"Who are those guys?" asked Tommy.

"I don't know", said Malcolm.

"They're trying to kill you!"

"Yeah, it seems that way", said Malcolm as he swiped his access card and the light turned green.

"And we're going up, without any of your bodyguards? Dad!" Tommy exclaimed, "We need to get out of here."

Malcolm turned around and putting a hand on Tommy's shoulder said, "Tommy, take a deep breath and trust me. Upstairs in my office is a panic room."

Leading his son into the elevator, he said, "We get there, we seal it off."

* * *

"Merlyn's headed to the penthouse", White told Lawton via comms.

Lawton got into position when suddenly he was kicked away. As he staggered back, he saw Daredevil standing in front of him. While Daredevil and The Hood were approaching, the former had heard Lawton's heartbeat and his chit-chat with the others via earpiece and had decided to stop him.

As Lawton recovered, Daredevil punched him away. Before he could punch him again, a hand grabbed his and flipped him to the ground.

He then heard some footsteps and a breath pattern but no heartbeat. He got up and attacked the one in front of him with a punch but he dodged by ducking and flipped back.

* * *

The Hood fired an arrow, killing the other shooter. Three other men came from behind to attack him. He blocked a man's punch and punched him. He ducked to avoid the second man's spin kick while the third one backed a little to save his leg from being smacked by the bow.

The Hood then did a spin motion, smacking all their faces with the bow, knocking them out.

He then saw China White standing in front of him. She threw away her brunette wig, revealing her blonde hair.

"Why do you want Malcolm Merlyn dead?" he asked her.

"I'll settle for you", she retorted.

She brandished her knives and the two walked towards each other. She tried to give him an upward slice with her knife which he avoided. He ducked to avoid another slice before smacking her abdomen with the bow. He ducked to dodge another blow. She tried to sweep his feet from under him but he avoided.

She tried to hit him in a spin motion but he avoided. She kicked him in a spin motion. She tried to punch but he grabbed her hand and smacked her stomach with the bow. He tried to kick but she grabbed his leg and flipped him to the ground before rolling away. The two got up at the same time and glared at each other.

* * *

Daredevil tried to sweep his opponent's feet from under him but he jumped back to avoid and tried to give a karate chop to Daredevil as he got up but he side stepped to avoid.

"Get back to your vantage point!" he said to Lawton who complied.

He tried to flip and hit Daredevil's head with his feet which he avoided by side stepping. Daredevil then tried to flip kick his opponent but he leaned backwards to avoid. He then tried to give him another chop which he ducked backwards to avoid and jumped back to save himself from having his feet swept from under him.

"Ah, you are fast, American", he said to Daredevil in an impressed tone, "This is good. This is very good. Many years have passed since last I fought an opponent worthy of battle. Not since I left Japan, have I truly relished conflict, someone with whom I may test my powers, and so I yearn for a man of skill and agility."

Raising his hand, he said, "Before I am forced to kill them!"

"Sounds like a whole passle of fun, hawk-nose", mocked Daredevil, "And now that the preliminaries are over, maybe it's about time that we got started!"

With a snarl, Blue Talon lunged forward, his hand splitting a perfect arc as he swung it in the air but Daredevil avoided it by ducking. He tried to do the same again but Daredevil rolled away.

The two then glared at each other. Daredevil ran at Lawton but Blue Talon jumped in the way and kicked him away.

Daredevil flipped and tried to hit Blue Talon's head with his feet but he dodged by side stepping. As soon as he landed though, Daredevil smacked him on the chest and he staggered back a little.

Being tagged for the first time in a long time, he angrily roared and rushed Daredevil. He attacked with a chop which Daredevil avoided by flipping back and tried to kick him in a spin motion which he avoided by jumping back.

He tried to kick again but Blue Talon parried with his elbow before trying to kick which Daredevil blocked with his foot. He tried to punch twice but Blue Talon swatted his hands away both times. But Daredevil head butted him and he staggered back. He then angrily smacked Daredevil's chest with his hand and he staggered back as Blue Talon kicked him to the ground. He tried to bring a martial chop down on Daredevil but he rolled away and the chop caused a huge crack on the roof. Their fight continued.

* * *

Malcolm and Tommy ran upstairs but their path was blocked by two gunmen. One of them slowly moved his gun towards Tommy.

Malcolm suddenly pushed his hand up and away before punching his throat hard, causing him to collapse and suffocate. He then twisted the other man's hand before snatching his gun and forcing him down while still holding his arm. He pointed the gun at his head.

"Wait!" Tommy pleaded but Malcolm shot him and he fell down, dead.

"Go!" he urged Tommy as they both ran to the door.

"You killed him!" said Tommy in shock.

"Surely as he would have killed you", replied Malcolm.

He then quickly typed the code and said to his son, "Move, move, move!"

He dragged Tommy into the penthouse and slammed the doors shut.

* * *

The Hood slammed White into a glass cabinet and threw her down. She got up and glared at him.

* * *

Daredevil flipped back to avoid a chop and leapt at Blue Talon with a punch but he jumped back to avoid, only to get a kick in the abdomen. He glared at Daredevil.

* * *

"Electromagnetic locks", Malcolm said to Tommy.

"What if they cut the power?" Tommy raised.

"This floor is on an entire separate grid", Malcolm explained.

"The glass?" Tommy asked, still worried.

"Lexan", said Malcolm confidently before assuring, "Bulletproof. It's over."

Tommy then looked at his father as if he had seen him for the first time and asked, "How did you know how to do that?"

"What?" asked Malcolm in confusion.

"Fight. Kill", clarified Tommy. Malcolm considered Tommy for a few moments before the flame of decision formed in his eyes. He then walked towards the wall.

* * *

 

Daredevil tried to run at Lawton but Blue Talon swept his feet from under him. He tried to flip at him but he rolled away. Daredevil got up and tried to punch Blue Talon who ducked before striking his elbow. He then struck him on the face and then the chest, making him stagger back.

* * *

 

Malcolm slid the painting away and pressed the fingerprint scanner with his thumb while Tommy said in a confused tone, "Dad?"

The wall slid aside. Malcolm looked at his secret base of operations, where his Dark Archer suit was still hanging neatly, and prepared to tell Tommy everything.

* * *

 

Daredevil recovered and punched Blue Talon on the face and then in the abdomen. Blue Talon blocked another punch and put Daredevil in a chokehold. At that moment, Lawton fired some kind of missile at the window.

* * *

 

The glass exploded and the shock sent Malcolm face first into the wall before he bounded back again, as the impact caused the wall to slide back.

* * *

Daredevil angrily did a front flip and freed himself. The two glared at each other as Blue Talon charged again with a chop which Daredevil ducked to avoid and then kicked him on the knee in a spin motion, making him stagger.

* * *

China White ran at The Hood and grabbed his head between her feet to flip him down but he grabbed her from behind and threw her down too. As they tried to get up, she kicked him away. He jumped up and popped up his bow with his foot, aiming an arrow at her.

"Freeze! SCPD!"

The Hood realized it was McKenna Hall as he turned to face her.

"Put the bow down", she ordered as she pointed a gun at him.

* * *

Malcolm and Tommy were both groaning on the ground but the former managed to get up.

"Tommy, you okay?" he asked to which Tommy nodded.

* * *

Daredevil gave a flying kick to Blue Talon and he was thrown to a side. He rushed Lawton who fired three shots before Daredevil pushed him away and tackled him to the ground before punching him out.

* * *

The three bullets hit Malcolm on the chest as he staggered back and collapsed on the ground.

"Dad?!" yelled Tommy as he scrambled to his feet and knelt near him, "Dad?!"

* * *

 

"Turn around slowly", McKenna ordered The Hood.

The Hood glanced to a corner and then turning around, fired his arrow at a fire extinguisher. The escaping cloud blinded McKenna while he escaped but White escaped too.

As the smoke cleared, both were gone.

* * *

Tommy dragged Malcolm away from the windows and knelt down, opening his shirt.

"Dad", he cried to him, "I'm sorry."

Malcolm suddenly grasped Tommy's hand with his own and assured, "I'm okay. I'm okay."

Tommy realized his father was wearing a Kevlar vest but one bullet had managed to penetrate through a weak spot.

"You're bleeding, you're bleeding", he said to Malcolm.

"I'll be fine, Tom-"

He then slipped back into unconsciousness.

"No, no, no, dad! Dad!" Tommy cried out in desperation. He then heard the sound of glass crunching.

He looked up to see The Hood standing there. In panic, Tommy grasped his gun from his father's waistband and aimed it at The Hood, "No, stay back!"

"I'm not here to hurt your father", The Hood said to him.

"I said stay back", he said again.

* * *

Daredevil turned around and realized Blue Talon was no longer there. He walked over to the spot where the man had been but there was no sign of him now. He then heard Lawton getting up. As he turned around, Lawton threw down a flashbang grenade and disappeared.

"Damn it!" cursed Daredevil.

* * *

The Hood knelt down and picking up a bullet, sniffed it.

"Curare", he whispered to himself.

"Don't come any closer", Tommy said as The Hood got up.

"Your father's been poisoned", The Hood explained to him, "An assassin named Floyd Lawton laces his bullets with curare. I've dealt with this before. We need to dilute the poison in his bloodstream."

"I said stay the hell back!" said Tommy as he pointed the gun.

"In three minutes, he's paralyzed. In four minutes, he suffocates", said The Hood, "If you don't let me help him now, he's dead before anybody gets here!"

"Help. How?" asked Tommy.

"Fresh blood buys him time to get to the hospital", said The Hood.

"A blood transfusion?" asked Tommy incredulously, "That's insane!"

"It's the only way", said The Hood, "He needs your blood. You're out of time. You need to make a decision right now!"

"Why should I trust you?" screamed Tommy.

The Hood then did something he had thought he would never do. He shut off his voice changer and raising his hands up, he pulled down his hood.

"Because you always have", Oliver said to his best friend.

"Oliver", gasped Tommy, staring at him in complete shock.

As Tommy sat near his father in stunned disbelief, Oliver ran and got some medical supplies from a nearby cabinet and used fletchettes to cut some tubes before attaching needles to their ends.

"Okay", he said as Tommy rolled up his sleeve, "Ready?"

"Do it", said Tommy flatly. He winced as Oliver put the needle into his arm and then wrapped one end of the gauze on his arm.

"Hold his arm", Oliver said as he gestured to Malcolm while Tommy complied. Oliver put the other end into Malcolm's arm and blood started flowing.

"Come on, come on", Oliver muttered.

Tommy looked at his friend and said, "You're the vigilante. Why?"

"Later", said Oliver with a sigh, "He's still going to need medical attention to fully clean out his system, you understand?"

"Okay", said Tommy and looking Oliver in the eye, said sincerely, "Thank you."

Oliver nodded and as Malcolm stirred, he left.

"Tommy", said Malcolm as he looked around.

"I'm right here, Dad", Tommy promised as he grasped his hand. He looked back but Oliver wasn't there.

* * *

Later, Malcolm was wheeled away to an ambulance as Tommy was questioned by Lance and Hall.

As the paramedics took Malcolm into the ambulance, Moira looked worriedly. The ambulance drove away as Daredevil and The Hood watched.

* * *

Matt and Oliver down the stairs into the lair.

"Another assassin with a blocked heartbeat, huh?" said Oliver as Matt told him what had happened.

"Yeah!" said Matt, "And he was very skilled."

"So how does it feel to save a one-percenter?" Felicity asked him.

"Looks like Malcolm Merlyn's going to be okay", Diggle said, "They're taking him to Starling General. Good thing he was wearing a bulletproof vest."

Oliver looked at John and said, "He's not in the hospital because he was shot. He was poisoned by curare."

Diggle's eyes widened in shock as he gave a sad sigh. He walked past Oliver and turning around said in realization, "Lawton's alive."

"I'm sorry, John", said Oliver sincerely.

John sighed and walked off as Matt asked, "What happened between him and Lawton?"

Oliver did not take his eyes off a retreating John and said, "Lawton killed his brother."

* * *

In Starling General, Malcolm and Tommy had reconciled as Moira arrived.

"Malcolm?" she asked him.

Malcolm smiled at her and looking at Tommy said, "Tommy. Could I talk to Moira for a minute?"

Tommy nodded and walked out as Moira walked approached and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, thank God you're alive", she lied but managed to sound genuine.

"We have a traitor in our midst", seethed Malcolm angrily, "I want you to find out who. He just made his last mistake."

Moira nodded and wondered what to do.

* * *

Tommy stood outside and heard Oliver approach.

"My dad's going to be okay", he said, "Thanks to you. It's thanks to you."

After a sigh, Tommy said, "No one's asked you what happened to you on that island. You said 'a lot.' That doesn't quite cover it."

"Tommy-"

"I saw you kill those guys who kidnapped us when you first got back, didn't I?" asked Tommy.

Oliver stared at Tommy for several moments and said, "I-I know you have a lot of questions."

"Yeah", said Tommy, "But for now, just the one."

With tears in his eyes, he asked, "Were you ever going to tell me?"

Oliver stared sadly at him as his eyes watered too and he said, "No."

Tommy walked off without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Itto Yamura aka Blue Talon is a minor villain from the Marvel Comics. He appeared in Daredevil #92. He was a badass though as he managed to fight Black Panther (disguised as Daredevil). Their conversation in this chapter was also taken from Black Panther and Blue Talon's conversation in the comics. He is here to even the odds now.
> 
> Matt and Laurel finally had their first kiss and have decided to start over their relationship. I hope it was fine.
> 
> I think everyone spotted a Stan Lee cameo in this chapter.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	13. Return of the Huntress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helena Bertinelli returns to Starling City while Laurel requests Matt to investigate something for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil, Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.

Gus Sabatoni sat in a strip club, enjoying the show with a drink and money in his hands.

"Hey mister!"

He turned to look at a scantily clad woman, wearing a skimpy purple outfit with a cross on the front. The spotlight behind her obscured her face but Gus could see her stuff just fine.

"Absolutely", he said.

A while later, in a private room, Gus made himself comfortable while the woman locked the door.

"Tonight your first night?" he asked.

"First, and last", she said as she spun around and planted her high-heeled boot on Sabatoni's chest, pinning him to his chair.

"Gus", she hissed angrily.

Gus looked up and felt fear on recognizing the woman, "Helena!"

"I'm looking for my father", Helena Bertinelli snarled, "If anybody knows where he is, I figured it would be his attorney."

"I don't", he said and Helena scoffed but removed her boot. Gus sighed in relief but it immediately turned to horror as Helena spun around and aimed her crossbow pistol at him.

"Oh! Helena!" he said in fear, "I swear I'd tell you where the FBI's keeping Frank, but after your father and I made his plea deal to testify, the Feds, they stopped telling me anything! Please! You have to believe me!"

"I do", said Helena with a smile. A while later, Helena, now wearing a coat to cover herself, strode out through the back exit and jumped onto her Harley.

In the club, a bouncer knocked on the VIP room's door and said, "Hey Gus, song's over man. You still in there?"

Hearing no response, he opened the door and was horrified on seeing Gus' body slumped back on the chair with two crossbow bolts in his chest. During that time, Helena started her bike and drove off.

* * *

At Big Belly Burger, Laurel was seated on a table, looking at the menu when Quentin arrived.

"Laurel", he said as he moved to the table and took off his coat, "I'm glad you called. Two months. Too long for us to go without talking."

As he sat down, Laurel said, "Dad, I have to tell you-"

"No, no, listen", he said sincerely, "Before you say anything, I got to apologize. I should never have used you to try and catch the archer, and I'm sorry. Laurel, I'm just- I'm sorry."

"Thank you", Laurel said uncomfortably, "But I have to tell you two things."

"What?" he asked her.

"Okay, first", she said, "I'm seeing someone."

"Oh!" said Quentin, "Who? Please tell me it's not Queen or Merlyn."

"Okay, dad, they're not the people you think they are", Laurel defended her friends, "But it's not them. It's Matt!"

"Him?" said Quentin and contemplated for a while, "You know, counting out the trial of Frank Castle, I don't think the guy's done anything wrong. I guess I'm fine. But what's the other thing."

"Yeah, about that", Laurel shifted uncomfortably in her chair, "I owe you an apology too."

"For what?" Quentin asked in confusion.

"Hello, Quentin."

Quentin spun around- to see his ex-wife standing there. He quickly stood, staring at her in shock.

"How are you?" Dinah asked him, "You look well."

"What are you doing here?" Quentin asked as he started stammering, "Why…..why are you here?"

"I'm here because I believe Sara's still alive", she said without wasting time on niceties.

"What?"

"Dad", Laurel rose and put a calming hand on his shoulder, "Sit-"

"What is going on?" he asked though he let Laurel help him sit.

"Just hear mom out", Laurel pleaded, "Sit."

"What is going on?" he demanded again.

"Start from the beginning", Laurel told her mother.

Dinah sat down and pulled out a map, "Oliver was found on an island called Lian Yu on the North China Sea", she said, pointing to said island and then gesturing at many surrounding islands, "There are hundreds, thousands of deserted islands in this chain. What if Sara had survived too? And nobody would know if she'd washed up in any of those."

"So you don't actually have proof that she's alive?" Quentin asked.

"I have proof", Dinah said as she pulled out a photograph and showed it to him. It was of a tall, brunette girl with her hat pulled down.

"A tourist took this", she said.

After looking at it, Quentin said, "Could be anybody."

"Doesn't it look just like Sara?" Dinah pleaded, "Our daughter's a survivor, Quentin."

After a few moments of silence in which he looked at the picture, Quentin said, "Ah, you have some nerve. Three years, no phone calls, no emails, nothing. You just show up with an old photo-"

Laurel tried to say, "Dad, please-"

"No", he said to her, "Please, you listen to me, okay? Sara died on that boat."

He looked between his ex-wife and daughter, almost in tears, and said, "Why…. are you making me relive this?"

He then moved to leave, "I'm not doing this."

Laurel said, "Dad, no-"

But he was already out.

* * *

Diggle was looking at old news clippings of Lawton when Matt and Oliver walked in.

"Yo", Oliver called out.

"Hey, where you been?" Dig asked him.

"Oh, I thought I'd give myself a rare morning in", said Oliver with a smile. When Dig raised an eyebrow, he said, "Don't look at me like that. The club is opening finally, McKenna and I are going on date number 6 tonight, which is…. it's significant. And, uh, I don't know", and then he shrugged, "It seems like a good day to give the bad guys a rest."

"I'm bringing Laurel here for a date" said Matt and Dig said with a raised eyebrow, "Finally."

Turning to Oliver, he said, "it's the bad girls I'm worried about. Turning to the computer, he opened another window and showed surveillance footage from a VIP room at the local strip club.

Oliver sighed and recognized the woman, "Helena."

"Helena?" asked Matt, "Who is she?"

"Helena Bertinelli", said Oliver, "Daughter of Frank. She hates her father because he got her fiancé killed. I tried to train her in the ways of vigilantism but her desire for revenge was too strong and now she's lose."

"So you're telling me there's a psychotic killer vigilante lose out there because of you?" Matt asked.

"Hey!" said Oliver, "You didn't do a thing about Frank Castle either."

"Frank doesn't kill innocents", Matt argued, "He doesn't even let them get caught in the crossfire. Something I can't say about Helena."

"All right, enough arguments about past failings", said Dig to diffuse the situation, "This was taken at Alley Cats, the strip joint. The police reports list the stiff's name as Gus Sabatoni."

"That's Bertinelli's lawyer", Oliver said in confusion, "Why would she come back just for him? It's not like he did a good job. Her father's serving consecutive life sentences without parole."

"Come on, Oliver", Dig said, "We both knew this was only a matter of time. You tried to help her but you couldn't. Now the only question is, how long till she drops the dime on you, me, this whole operation?"

"Look, I want you to get in touch with all our contacts in the Bratva", Oliver said, "Figure out where Helena is, why she's back?"

"Ok", said Dig, "But-"

"Helena's here for a reason", said Oliver, "If not Frank Bertinelli, then we need to know what it is?"

"Okay", said Dig, as Matt and Oliver walked off.

* * *

Later, Oliver walked into the house and was confused on hearing sounds of laughter from within.

"Speedy?"

"We're in here", her voice said.

Oliver walked inside and stopped on seeing Thea sitting on the couch and talking to Helena.

"Look whose back", Thea said to him as Helena smiled, "She was just telling me about you guys' first date-"

"At Russo's", Helena finished, "Hello Oliver."

"Oh, Ollie, I have a pseudo friend who's looking for a job", Thea said to him, "Any chance the club's still hiring?"

"Yes, of course", said Oliver with a forced smile, "Talk to Tommy. As a matter of fact, you can go upstairs and call Tommy right now."

"Great, you rock", she said gratefully as she headed upstairs.

After she was gone, Oliver dropped the smile and asked Helena, "Where've you been?"

Helena rose to face him and said, "Um…. Barcelona, Monaco, Budapest. I just needed to forget who I was. And how much I missed you."

"Do you mean like how much you missed Gus Sabatoni?" he retorted as the smile left her face, "I thought you were done with your father's organization, Helena. Because he's serving consecutive life sentences in Iron Heights. You got your revenge."

"He just cut a deal with the Justice Department to testify against the East Coast family", Helena replied with a furious edge in her voice, "In 48 hours, Witness Protection will give him a new name, a new life, and he'll be off the grid, forever- untraceable!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry", Oliver said.

"My father doesn't deserve a second chance- a second life", Helena spat, "And I can't. I can't take on a phalanx of U.S. Marshals. Not without help."

"No", Oliver said as he realized what she was asking of him, "It's not justice. It's murder."

Before she could reply, Moira walked inside and said to Oliver, "Oh, there you are. I have a question about your opening tonight."

Then she noticed Helena and said, "Hello."

Helena managed to force a smile again and said, "Hi."

"Oliver, who is your friend?" Moira asked her son.

"Oh! Mom, this is Helena. Helena, this is my mom" he introduced the two.

"Hi!" Moira said pleasantly as Helena shook her hand and said, "Nice to meet you."

"Helena was just leaving", Oliver said.

"Yes", she said, "I have a family engagement."

"Excuse us for a minute", said Oliver as he lead Helena to the door.

"Of course", said Moira as the two left.

"I guess I will have to be more persuasive", Helena whispered to Oliver, "Fortunately, you have a family too."

She kissed him on the cheek and walked out while Oliver watched in silence. Rage was boiling inside him due to the fact that Helena had just threatened his family.

* * *

"She was in my house", Oliver raged as Dig texted on his phone, "And she made a not so veiled threat against my mother and sister. I want extra security around both of them."

"Way ahead of you, man", Dig told him and waved his phone to tell him he had been working on that.

"Thank you", Oliver said sincerely while Dig said, "It's my job."

"For not saying 'I told you so'", Oliver clarified as Dig walked off saying, "Night's young."

Oliver saw Tommy walking up behind the bar with a crate of wine and asked, "Where you been? The club opens in 4 hours."

"I've been dealing with the vendors", Tommy lied, not looking at Oliver.

"No you haven't", Oliver said, "Tommy… we need to talk. I'm sorry, all right. But I kept this a secret to protect the people closest to me."

Tommy finally looked up and said, "Do you think that's what I care about? What, that my feelings are hurt?"

He leaned forward and whispered, "You're a murderer. A killer. You were my best friend in life, but now it's like I don't even know you."

Oliver stared sadly at his friend and said, "You're right. I've changed. Listen, buddy, now I can explain it to you. I can explain how and why-"

"What'd be the point?" Tommy asked, "I wouldn't believe a word of it anyway."

Tommy walked off, leaving a dejected Oliver behind.

* * *

Matt walked into Big Belly Burger as Laurel rose on seeing him.

The two shared a quick kiss and said simultaneously, "Hi."

With an awkward simultaneous laugh, the two sat down.

"You sounded like it was urgent", Matt said, "What did you want to ask me about?"

"Well", said Laurel, "It's a bit of a family matter but I think you can help."

"How?" asked Matt.

"You once told me you know a P.I.", Laurel said.

"Yes", said Matt, "I do know a P.I."

"Well", said Laurel, "My mother….. my mother thinks Sara is still alive."

"What?" Matt asked, "Why does she think that?"

"Because Oliver survived", Laurel said, "And because of an old picture."

"That is not much evidence", Matt pointed out.

"I know", said Laurel, "But my mom is persistent. She asked dad to investigate it."

"What?" said Matt before telling Laurel, "Laurel, look, I may not like your father that much, but he doesn't deserve this. He has already destroyed himself a lot due to his grief. Now whether this lead is a dead end or not, she's making him relive this."

Laurel sighed sadly at that, realizing what she had asked of her father earlier. She then put a folder on the table and said to Matt, "Can you please ask that P.I. to look into everything mom found and verify if it's a dead end or not?"

Matt took the folder and said, "Of course I can. I will have to go back to New York though to give it to her. How about I go next week?"

With a happy smile, Laurel said "Thank you so much. It means a lot."

The two embraced each other.

* * *

Later, everyone stood in the newly opened Verdant. There was music while everyone drank and danced, forgetting the cares of life.

On the second level- Oliver, Moira, Thea and McKenna stood together.

"To Verdant", Moira toasted as the four raised their glasses, "I know I haven't always been supportive of this venture", she said after taking a sip, "But this nightclub is quite an accomplishment. I'm proud of you, Oliver. Your father would be too."

"Thank you", Oliver said.

"Yeah, congratulations, Ollie", Thea said with a smile, "This club doesn't totally suck."

"Thanks, Speedy", Oliver said to her, "Thank you very much, all of you, for coming."

Down below, Tommy was standing, holding a scotch when Matt and Laurel walked up to him.

"Oh!" said Laurel, "There you are. This place is amazing. I'm so proud of you and Ollie."

"Yes!" said Matt, "You two have done great work."

Tommy smiled tightly and said, "Thanks."

Laurel looked at him in concern and asked, "Is everything okay?"

"I'm great", Tommy assured with a fake smile.

Matt could sense he was lying and he knew the reason as Oliver had told him.

Putting a hand on Tommy's shoulder, Matt said firmly, "If there is something bothering you, I think you should do something about it as soon as possible instead of letting the problem grow, or you might regret it."

Matt then walked off with Laurel while Tommy contemplated his words.

"Tommy! Tommy!" said Thea as she ran up to him, "Did you call Roy yet?"

"I left him a message", he told her, "He starts tomorrow. Which reminds me, I have to go check in with the office."

He then said, "Excuse me."

He walked towards the stairs when a voice stopped him.

"Hey, Tommy", he turned and saw Helena standing there with a smile, "Remember me?"

Matt heard that from a distance and grew concerned. What if that woman was Helena?

He decided to tell Oliver and managed to run into him.

"Oliver", he said, "I was looking for you."

"Matt!" said Oliver, "I just got a note from Dig telling me to meet him downstairs. Said it was urgent."

"I heard a woman leading Tommy downstairs", Matt told him, "I think it might be Helena."

At that, Oliver clenched his fist tightly and said, "We have to stop her."

"We will", said Matt, "We just need a surprise."

Matt picked up an empty glass from the bar and told him, "Lead the way."

As Oliver did that, Matt took out a scarf from his pocket and put it on his head. He always kept it as backup when he needed to conceal his identity and could not be Daredevil.

Oliver walked into the basement and was horrified to see that Matt was right. Helena was there, holding Tommy down on a table, his arm bent backwards at a painful angle and his wrist in her grasp.

"Let him go", Oliver demanded, "He has nothing to do with this."

"I told you", Helena snarled, "Oliver, I warned you!"

"Helena!" Oliver shouted, "This isn't you."

"My father is a mobster and a murderer", she said, "It's not like you haven't killed men like that before!"

"I tried to teach you to obtain your objective without killing!" Oliver said to her.

"By applying leverage, by exploiting someone's weakness", she said as she twisted his arm, causing him to gasp in pain, "There is a whole club full of leverage right above our heads. Please. Oliver, don't make me do something we both will regret,"

Oliver then realized Matt was coming up behind him and said in a voice laced with deadly calm, "Don't worry, Helena. I won't."

As Helena gave him a confused look, Oliver ducked and Matt threw the glass at Helena. Helena ducked to avoid the projectile as Matt leapt over Oliver and gave Helena a flying kick, making her stagger back as Tommy was freed from her grasp.

She angrily tried to give Matt a spin kick but Matt ducked and then gave her a flip kick, making her stagger to a side.

"You are not a vigilante", he told her, "You're just someone hell bent on revenge."

She angrily lunged at him saying, "My father doesn't deserve a new life!"

Matt flipped behind her and said, "It is hardly a life. A man like him can't be set free. They would still keep him under surveillance 24/7."

Helena didn't listen and lunged at him again with a punch but he ducked and punched her away, "You are so hell bent on revenge that you don't even care about innocent lives. That makes you as bad as your father whom you're trying to kill."

At that, Helena stopped and her eyes started widening in horror as she realized what she was becoming. Using the opportunity, Oliver ran up to her and knocked her out with a punch.

"Thank you", he said sincerely to Matt.

"Problem solved", Matt said to him.

"We need to hand her over to the police", Oliver said.

"On it", said Matt as he walked out.

Oliver then saw Tommy looking at him but he walked out.

* * *

Later, Oliver stood alone in the club as Tommy came up to him.

"You all right?" Tommy asked him and Oliver said, "I will be. What about you?"

"I will be", Tommy said too, "Look, I know that I've been a jerk lately. I just couldn't understand how you could keep such a big secret from me. But seeing you there, begging Helena to stop hurting me, and thinking about something Matt said, I realized I never….. I never considered the toll it must take on you."

"Lying to the people that are closest to me is the hardest part", Oliver said with an exhale.

"I get that", Tommy assured him.

The two had now finally started reconciling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally think this show did a bad job with Huntress. At this point, I didn't really have much sympathy for her. At the end of 'Birds of Prey', I regained sympathy for her but at this point, I had lost it. So I just sent her to prison.
> 
> I think you all know which P.I. Matt is going to ask for help. Hint- wears a brown leather jacket, insults everyone with badass quips, stays drunk 24/7.
> 
> But I don't think I would be covering the investigation in the next chapter so she probably won't appear. I was just making a reference to her. Hope you all don't mind.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	14. Finding the truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Laurel try to find the person in the photo with the help of Jessica Jones while the Glades is terrorized by Joseph Faulk. Moira makes a decision to save herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil, Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.
> 
> In my A/N at the end of last chapter, I said I would not include the investigation but I realize that without Matt, the episode would remain the same, so now it's the investigation I am covering.

New York wasn't that far from Starling City. A 7 hour ride from a cab was all the time that was needed to get to New York from Starling City.

Matt and Laurel were in one such cab. Matt had told Oliver that he was going to New York with Laurel as he needed to help her with something but hadn't told him the full thing. He had decided not to until the lead was verified.

They were currently discussing the person they were going to.

"So what's her name?" Laurel asked Matt.

"Jessica", he told her, "Jessica Jones."

"How good is she?" Laurel asked.

"The best in Hell's Kitchen", Matt said, "Trust me. I know."

"How do you know her?" she asked.

"Well", said Matt, "Foggy and I didn't totally cut each other from our lives. He once gave me a bunch of files so that I could do more lawyering. He then contacted me to be an attorney for her. She had gotten into trouble with the police during an investigation. I represented her there and some other times as she got into trouble with them a lot. We have known each other ever since."

"Oh!" said Laurel, "What kind of person is she?"

"She might come off as unfriendly", Matt told her, "And she drinks a lot. But she's a good P.I. and an even better person. She just doesn't show it."

"Sounds like an interesting person", Laurel commented and Matt agreed with a light chuckle.

"Wait till you meet her", he said to her.

* * *

Matt knocked at the door of Alias Investigations. He then heard rushed footsteps of a man. The door was opened.

Laurel looked at the dark-skinned man who had opened the door.

"Uh, hi", she said to him.

"Hello Ma'am", he said to her before turning to her boyfriend and fellow lawyer, "Mr. Murdock. It's good to see you."

"Good to see you too Ducasse", Matt said to him as the two shook hands and then Matt made the introductions, "Malcolm, this is Laurel Lance from Starling City. She is a lawyer in CNRI. Laurel, this is Malcolm Ducasse, Jessica's assistant."

Ducasse and Laurel shook hands.

"What brings you here?" Ducasse asked Matt.

"We have a case", Matt said, "Is Jessica here?"

"She is", Ducasse replied and stepped out of their way to allow them both to walk in.

Matt and Laurel walked in. Matt could easily smell alcohol and the sound of drinking. Jessica would never change.

The two walked into a room and Laurel looked at the P.I. Matt had told her about for the first time. She had black hair and wore a brown leather jacket over a tank top and torn jeans. Her feet were on the table and she was taking swigs from a bottle.

She did not seem to be aware that she was not alone anymore in the room. Or maybe she did and chose to ignore them to indulge in the pleasures of drinking a bit more.

A polite cough from Matt got her attention. She put the bottle down and looked at the two lawyers.

"Murdock", she said to him as she regarded him and his companion, "Who's your friend there?"

"Laurel Lance", said Laurel as she held out her hand.

"Jessica Jones", said Jessica and looked at Matt again as Laurel put her hand back.

"So to what do I owe this visit?" she asked him.

"The two of us have a little case we would like you to solve", he said to her without further preamble.

"What case?" she asked him.

Laurel took out the picture while Matt put down the folder.

"We want to know who the woman in this picture is", Laurel said as Jessica picked up the picture and regarded it.

"And we would also like to know where this was taken and when", said Matt as it was entirely possible this wasn't one of the islands around Lian Yu.

"Wait a minute", said Jessica as she rose from her seat, "Half of the payment first."

"Sure", said Matt who already knew she would ask for the payment first. He took out some money and handed it to her, "Done."

"Good", she said, "Now let's see who's the person in this fucking picture."

Jessica then managed to scan the photo into her computer and then uploaded it on Google.

She then tried to search by image but nothing came up.

With a sigh, she said, "The face isn't too visible. We might need something else."

Turning to Matt and Laurel, she said, "Where exactly do you think this picture was taken?"

"According to the one who gave this to us, it was taken in the Phuket province", Matt said.

"Why do you want to find her anyway?" Jessica asked.

"She may be someone we know", Laurel said.

Jessica decided to not ask any other questions as she had got half of the payment already.

She then ended up calling the consulate in Phuket and after some talking, got off the phone.

She then typed on her computer and sent the image to an official email id.

"I sent the picture to the consulate of Phuket", she said, "The secretary says he's going to run the photo against their database and inform us if they have a match."

"Thank you so much", Laurel said gratefully.

"It may not be whoever you're looking for so don't get your hopes up too high", she told Laurel, "The world's fucking cruel and vile and filled with assholes."

"Okay", said Laurel, feeling a little creeped out by Jessica.

"Let's just say it isn't her", Matt said, "What will we do then?"

"If it isn't Phuket", said Laurel, "It definitely has to be somewhere in the North China Sea."

"In that case", said Jessica, "We'll need the Chinese Embassy's help."

"Okay", said Laurel.

* * *

Moira stood on the outskirts of Starling City. She had an umbrella to protect herself from the light showers overhead. Hearing footsteps, she turned to see Frank Chen.

"What did Malcolm want with you last night?" he asked her.

"A target for reprisal", Moira said, "He wants justice, and he's not going to stop until he gets it. Besides, this is good."

"I think your definition of good requires an adjustment", Frank dryly said.

Moira turned back to Frank and explained, "No, he came to me. Which means that he doesn't know that we're responsible for the attempt on his life."

"Yet", pointed out Frank.

Moira regarded him and asked, "What are the chances of Malcolm discovering who paid the Triad to assassinate him?"

"I was very discreet", Frank assured her, "I wired the money through a small shell corporation I own, from an offshore account."

"Offshore?" Moira noted and then said, "Good. That's good."

"I'm sending Amanda to London for a few weeks, just as a precaution", Chen told her, as he put a hand on her shoulder, "Perhaps you should do the same for your family."

Moira looked down at his hand and then back at him, "There's nothing I wouldn't do to protect my children Frank."

And with that, she turned and walked away.

* * *

Quentin and Dinah walked into CNRI where Laurel was waiting for them and they walked over to her.

"Hey", Quentin said to her.

Laurel gave a strained smile and rose to meet her parents, "Hi. I wanted to do some research of my own on the evidence you gathered on Sara. So me and Matt asked a P.I. to look into it and ended up calling the Chinese Embassy. The photo of the girl. I found her."

Before they could say anything, a young woman walked up between them. She had dark hair and the same build as Sara- but she wasn't her.

"I'm sorry", she said to Laurel, "Can-can I borrow your phone? I promised my fiancé I'd call before phone's battery went dead."

Laurel nodded and made the introductions, "Jen, these are my parents."

"Hi", Jen said as she shook their hands, "Nice to meet you."

The little bit of hope in Quentin's chest died at that moment as he said, "Yeah. You too."

Laurel picked up the photos and said, "I just told Jen about this photograph that popped up in this case I'm working on."

Her mother took the photos and looked between them and Jen.

"Is that you in the photo?" Quentin asked her.

"Yeah", she replied, "I spent six months off the coast of China on an island. That was taken in a small fishing village called Zhengjiu. It's Mandarin for-"

"Salvation", said a heartbroken Dinah.

Jen noted her tone and asked, "Are you all right, Mrs. Lance?"

"Yes… I just, uh, you look like someone I used to know", Dinah said brokenly before running off. Quentin closed his eyes as his grief became fresh again while Laurel and Jen looked at them with sadness.

* * *

A while later, Matt was once again sitting in Big Belly Burger as Laurel walked up to him.

"What happened?" he asked her as he heard her heartbeat and realized she was on the verge of crying.

"My mother just confessed something", Laurel told him in a shaky voice.

"What?" he asked her.

"She saw Sara the day she left for Queen's Gambit with Oliver", Laurel said and Matt was shocked.

"So she knew Oliver was cheating on you with your sister", Matt said as he fumed in anger at Dinah, "And yet she didn't say a thing."

"I know", Laurel said, feeling betrayed.

"Come here", Matt said to her as she fell into his arms and wept silently.

During this time though, he thought about a theory Jessica had told him.

* * *

" _The woman in the picture is not the one your friend is looking for", she said before adding, "But maybe, there's a chance it is the one she is looking for, but she sent this other woman to take responsibility so that everyone stops looking for her."_

" _Why does she not want to be found I wonder", Matt said._

" _Perhaps she did things that make her want to stay alone", Jessica said with a little self-loathing._

* * *

Matt thought about telling Laurel but she was in too much pain right now. And what good would telling her do? It would probably hurt her even more. And as someone who suffered from self-loathing and depression himself, he could imagine various reasons as to why Sara did not want to be found.

Or maybe the theory was wrong. Who knows?

* * *

Later, Daredevil and The Hood pulled up next to an abandoned subway station at Ocean Avenue. The Hood had told Daredevil about Joseph Faulk and what he had been up to during his absence.

The Hood fired an explosive arrow and it blew off the access grate. He dropped a line down the hole and the two slid down, ending up in an access tunnel to the subway itself.

The two ran through the tunnel, and on hearing a train, stopped near the tracks as the train sped past.

"It's happening", Felicity told the two of them via comms.

* * *

"I'll give you 10 minutes to state your case, Roy", Faulk said to him as he held up the camera and the gun, "So tell me, do you get to live?"

Roy closed his eyes and finally said with self-loathing, "I shouldn't."

"Just do it, kill me", Roy said as Faulk looked at him in stunned shock. He wasn't expecting that.

"Just do it! Kill me!"

Faulk slightly lowered the camera so he could look into Roy's eyes and asked in a dumbfounded tone, "You really don't care if you live or you die?"

"No one's going to miss me", Roy said in a defeated tone.

* * *

Back at Verdant, Thea was watching the broadcast on TV. Her eyes were filled with tears on hearing that.

"I'm just a waste", Roy said as Tommy walked up next to Thea to give her support.

* * *

"Then we agree on something", Faulk said to him, "This world would be better off without you in it."

Faulk raised the gun as Roy closed his eyes, waiting for the end. Suddenly, there was a crash on the roof and a startled Faulk dropped the camera.

* * *

Back at Verdant, Thea saw the camera fall down and then heard some static before the news anchor said, "We seem to have lost the feed. We will stay on this story and keep you up to date on any developments."

Thea broke down in Tommy's arms at the loss of Roy.

* * *

Faulk moved around, searching for the source of the sound. Suddenly, a window next to him exploded as Daredevil and The Hood crashed in. The three fell down but quickly got up.

The Hood spun around and threw a fletchette at Roy, hitting the tape on his left wrist. The two then rose as The Hood aimed an arrow at Faulk's heart while Daredevil prepared to throw his club.

"Let the kid go", The Hood growled, "You kill this kid, he'll never get an opportunity to change. You can give him a second chance."

"We're the only ones who can save this city!" Faulk protested as he pointed his gun at the two, "We can't stop now!"

"We're not the same!" The Hood screamed as Roy watched.

"You've killed people for this city, so have I", Faulk said.

"He killed people who were proven to be bad", Daredevil told him, "You kill any random person even if his crime is most minor."

The Hood nodded his head at the fletchette as he looked at Roy who got the hint.

"Their crimes increase as time passes on", Faulk argued.

"Not if we reprimand them for it and tell them there are better ways to live your life", Daredevil said, "And like it or not, he is not a waste. You are. You could have done so much good for this city with your skills. Saved it. You could have made it better than it is, you could have made it something beautiful. But you took that away from yourself the moment you decided to kill people."

Roy reached the fletchette and started cutting away the tape on his wrist.

"I AM NOT A WASTE! I AM THE SAVIOUR!"

Faulk turned to Roy and raised his gun.

"Don't do it!" The Hood yelled as Faulk fired at Roy who ducked to avoid.

The man fired off two shots. Daredevil threw his club while The Hood fired an arrow at the same time. The club disarmed him while the arrow pierced his heart. He gasped in pain as he looked down at the arrow. Roy watched as he slowly collapsed on the bench and died.

Roy groaned as he pulled himself up, and took a seat, staring at the man who had unknowingly changed his life.

* * *

Thea was sitting in Verdant, staring when her phone buzzed. She looked down and her eyes widened in surprise on seeing the message.

'Turn to your left.'

Thea turned to her left and saw a disheveled Roy walking towards her. She let out a happy sob and hugged him tightly.

"I thought you were going to die", she cried.

"That makes two of us", Roy replied as he hugged her equally tightly.

Thea pulled back and said, "I probably look like a mess. I think I should go to the bathroom and freshen way, way up."

"Ok", said Roy as Thea walked away. Matt and Oliver watched it from the balcony and walked away. Roy then pulled out the fletchette that had saved his life and stared at it, deep in thought.

* * *

Moira stood on a deserted street. A car pulled up and Frank Chen walked out.

"Thank you for coming, Frank", Moira told him.

"Meeting like this is dangerous, Moira", Frank said as he buttoned his coat, "Particularly now."

"Yes, I know", Moira said in a determined tone before looking at him and announced, "Malcolm knows."

"What?!" Frank asked.

"I had no choice but to turn over what I discovered", Moira told him, "The evidence of the wire transfer. The money you paid the Triad to assassinate him."

Frank tried to protest, "The money I-"

But he was cut off when an arrow protruded from his chest, having pierced his heart. Moira looked on in shock as Frank tried to reach her, "Moira!"

He fell into her arms and both fell down. Only Moira got back up.

"You've done well", the Dark Archer said as he walked up to her, "Now Chen's family will share his fate."

"Chen betrayed us, but his daughter didn't", Moira protested, "Tell Mr. Merlyn that I want her to live. Amanda nearly lost her life in the Glades, now she's lost her father. She has suffered enough."

"We must send a message", the Dark Archer said.

"We have", Moira said as she looked at Frank's body, "We-"

"Very well", the Dark Archer said.

Moira said, "Thank you-"

But he was gone.

She went back to her car and tried to start it. But then she noted Frank's blood on her hands. Reaching into her coat, she withdrew a Kleenex and wiped the blood. She spat at her hands to wash out the blood, but it didn't come off. She started sobbing- for all the sins she had committed.

* * *

"What's that?" Oliver asked Felicity as he looked at her computer.

"Felicity pulled it up", Dig told him, "It's an old map of the decommissioned subway underneath the low rent district of Starling City."

Oliver picked up his father's notebook and looking at the symbol on the inside cover said, "I've seen that map before."

Oliver put it down as Felicity stared at it, realization hitting her. Matt realized what Oliver meant too.

"It was right in front of our faces the entire time", Oliver said, "My father, the other archer, the Gnuccis, the device, the Undertaking."

Matt then said, "He wants to destroy the Glades with the device."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know much about how investigations are carried out so that's all I could do. I read a theory about how the photo was of Sara but she asked Jen to take responsibility for it instead. It actually makes sense because when Sara comes to visit Sin in the hospital after she is attacked by Xavier Reed, she is wearing the same hat from the photo.
> 
> They now know that the Dark Archer wants to destroy the Glades with a device.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	15. Unfinished Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vertigo strikes again as Oliver and Tommy have a falling out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil, Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.

Music was blaring loudly in Verdant and everyone was dancing. One of the women seemed very fascinated by the lights, staring at them with a blank look and dancing to a tune only she could hear. She danced to that tune even when she went outside the club and onto the street. Many of the cars swerved to avoid hitting her but one of them couldn't and hit her head on, killing her.

* * *

Oliver walked around the club as the staff cleaned it up.

"How we doing?" he asked Tommy who grinned in return.

"We're in the black, and the green", Tommy told him as he handed him the tablet with their latest financial expenditures and gains.

"I like how we've gone from throwing money at clubs to catching it", Oliver noted as he put the tablet down and noticed something, "Oh, look at these."

As he said that, he picked up a black-laced bra from among the many in the tote behind the bar, "What sort of business is lost and found if it is filled with women's underwear?"

"The best business ever?" Tommy joked.

"Oh, having this much fun should be against the law. Oh, if wishing made it so."

The two spun around to see Quentin walking up to them, "Sorry, am I interrupting anything?"

"Is Laurel okay?" Tommy asked him after having heard about the events of the previous week.

"She's fine", said Quentin before getting down to business, "This meeting's about something else. A girl just got mowed down a couple of blocks from here", he pulled out his phone and showed them the photo of the dead girl, "On Starling Bridge. Ring any bells with you two?"

"No", said Tommy.

"Should she?" asked Oliver.

"She was in your club tonight", Quentin said as he pulled out an evidence bag which had a neon green wristband which all customers got on entering Verdant.

"A lot of people were", Tommy pointed out.

"You think someone killed her?" Oliver asked him.

"Not someone", Quentin said as he pulled out another evidence bag which had some disturbingly familiar black and green pills, "Something."

"Vertigo", Oliver said in realization.

"Yeah", Lance agreed before turning to Tommy, "You got a problem with that in this club?"

"Not that I am aware of", Tommy replied sharply.

"We don't allow drugs in here, Detective", Oliver told him firmly.

"Control your clientele", Lance ordered as he looked between the two, "Before anyone else wanders into the traffic."

As Lance walked out, Oliver asked Tommy, "Is there a chance she could have scored the drugs in here?"

"I doubt it", Tommy said, "I try not to hire too many drug dealers."

"Get me a list of employees anyway", Oliver told him, "I'll have Felicity cross reference it for any drug arrests."

"That includes the two of us, you know", Tommy pointed out as they came to the basement door and Oliver unlocked it with the required code, "I thought you and Daredevil finished off the Count."

Oliver turned back to his friend and said, "We did."

* * *

At the Starling County Institute for Mental Health, Lance was lead through the halls by Dr. Web to the Count's room.

"I just need to ask him a few questions, Doc", Lance said to Dr. Webb.

"Well, you're welcome to try", Dr. Webb told him, "But I'm not sure you'll get very far with him."

Lance turned to the doctor and asked, "What does this mean? Is this some load of doctor-patient privilege?"

"No, far from it", Dr. Webb shook his head as they walked up the stairs, "The Vertigo overdose he suffered caused damage to the caudal portion of his anterior cingulate."

"Well, you'll probably be shocked to hear I didn't go to medical school", Lance said sarcastically.

"I've been working with him for months now", Dr. Webb told him, "And all I've gotten out of him is word salad and the occasional spit on the face. Best of luck to you."

"Thanks", Lance replied.

* * *

In a locked room sat the Count, muttering to himself in the moonlight, "Here I was born, and there I died. It was only a moment for you. You took no notice."

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed him and slammed him against the wall.

"A woman died tonight from your poison", The Hood growled.

"Lots of women die, on lots of nights, for lots of reasons", the Count said.

"Someone is selling Vertigo again", The Hood said, "Where is it coming from?"

The Count's eyes flashed in recognition for a moment and he said, "I remember you. Man in hood", he shoved his drawings on The Hood's face, "You are never far from my thoughts."

The sound of jingling keys made The Hood growl in frustration. He threw the Count on the ground and disappeared into the shadows as the door opened.

"You have failed this city! You have failed this city! You have failed this city!" the Count yelled to the darkness around him as Lance looked at him and then back at Dr. Webb.

"You could have just said that he was nuts", Lance told the doctor as he walked out of the room.

* * *

Dig walked into the lair where Matt and Oliver were waiting for him.

"Got here as quickly I could", Dig told them, "This about the glyph in your father's notebook?"

"Felicity is still working on that. We have another problem", Oliver told him. He then played a news clip on the computer.

"Starling City is once again at war with the drug known on the streets as Vertigo. It used to be the city's most lethal vice. But the purple and green pill was nowhere to be found for the last 3 months."

"The city has been flooded with a new version of Vertigo for the past few days", Matt told Dig, "More addictive, more unstable."

"It killed a girl in the club", Oliver sighed, "Just like it almost killed Thea."

"Okay", said Dig, "What do the two of you think? We should pay the Count a visit?"

"He was my first visit. Waste of time", Oliver revealed, "He's…. sumasshedshly."

At Dig's confused look, Oliver gestured with his hand near his head, "Ahh."

"He was the only one who knew the formula for Vertigo", Matt said.

"I don't even know where to begin", Oliver said.

"Good, you're here", said Felicity as she walked in towards her computer, "Of course you're here. Where else would you be? Except at McKenna's. You clearly love it down here and over there."

She pulled up the news and said, "You got to see this."

"I'm here at the scene where the police say a disturbed patient escaped only hours ago", the reporter said as Matt and Oliver looked stunned.

"Authorities issued an immediate lockdown at the Starling County Institute for Mental Health following the breakout. Police are warning people to avoid contact with the drug dealer known as the Count."

"Not so crazy after all, huh?" Dig commented as Oliver angrily threw over a table.

* * *

Hall interviewed Dr. Webb.

"I was issuing the meds", the doctor said, "He was babbling. His usual ranting, then he's ice cold. He overpowered me. He forced me to take him through the maintenance exit."

"But you told Detective Lance he was harmless", McKenna pointed out.

Dr. Webb said, "I know. Which means….. I've interviewed him a dozen of times in the past couple of months. To be deceived by a patient so completely-"

"Don't worry. We'll find him", Hall assured him, "He's going to find prison a lot harder to break out of."

"Detective", said Dr. Webb to her, "He's dangerous. Don't underestimate him."

Later, she walked out with Lance and Hilton and asked them, "Anything from the security cameras?"

"Not according to the orderly here", Hilton said, "Due to budget cuts, the cameras were the first to go."

"The city is that underfunded?" McKenna asked dumbfounded.

"I know", Lance agreed with her, "It's unbelievable."

"There's another angle though", Hilton told them, "Veronica Sparks? The dead girl from Verdant?"

"Yeah?" Hall asked.

"I checked her LUDs", Hilton said, "The last person she texted before she died was Tommy Merlyn."

"But Merlyn said he didn't know her", Lance said with a frown.

"Merlyn has two collars for possession, one with intent", Hilton revealed as they walked out.

"Yeah, that was over five years ago", Lance said.

"Maybe he's just better at not getting himself arrested", Hilton noted.

"Well, Laurel says he's changed after his father cut him off", Lance said.

"Yeah, a leopard and his spots, you know?" Hilton said, "Maybe pushing Vertigo at his new club is a way of maintaining his old lifestyle."

"Yeah, or maybe going after Merlyn is a great way to get my daughter to stop speaking to me again, Hilt", Lance said dryly.

"Look, Quentin, you know I get that", Hilton said to him as they reached the car, "But here's the thing- on a hunch, I subpoenaed the club's bank accounts. There's ten large missing from their operating expenses."

"You think Merlyn spent that money on Vertigo?" Lance asked him.

"I think I can't explain how much money gets misplaced", Hilton told his partner, "Look, I'll take a run at it. Keep you out."

"No", said Quentin, "I should do it."

"With all due respect, Detective", Hall told Lance, "I think it would be best if it's me who does it."

* * *

Matt was sitting in Verdant, drinking mildly while talking to Laurel as Tommy walked around them.

And then McKenna walked in.

"What brings you by?" Laurel asked her, "Oliver's not here."

"It's a business visit actually", Hall said with a little discomfort. I got some follow up questions on the Spark girl's death."

"Oh!" Matt said simply.

"Sure", Tommy said.

"You said you didn't know her", Hall said to him, "But, um, the last text off her phone was to you."

"Really?" Tommy asked as he looked through the texts on his phone, "Because uh-"

He stopped on seeing a picture of Veronica with the message- 'Can you hook me up?'

"Well, I'll be damned", Tommy said as he held up the phone for Hall to see, "Huh, well, I didn't reply. I get hundreds of texts like this every night."

Matt heard his heartbeat and knew he was speaking the truth.

"So that's what she meant by 'Can you hook me up?'" Hall asked him.

"What else could it be about?" Tommy said defensively.

"$10,000 is missing from your club's bank accounts", Hall said after a deep breath, "What did you spend it on?"

"No idea", said Tommy, "Must be some sort of bookkeeping error-"

Matt kept his hand on Tommy's shoulder for support as Laurel walked over next to him while Hall continued, "Ok, let me put this another way, Tommy, if you spent that money on Vertigo so you could hook up your 'clientele'-"

"McKenna!" Laurel said in disbelief.

"-then the best thing to do right now is to cop to it, okay?" McKenna finished, "Get out in front of this."

"Don't say another word to my friend, please", Laurel said to Hall.

Hall tried to say, "I'm just trying to-"

"Do your job?" said Laurel, "Well I'm doing mine."

"I know how you feel Laurel", Hall said sympathetically to her with some sorrow in her voice, "But if it hadn't been me, then some other cop would have come down here to question him and he won't be as soft on him as I am."

"You know, Laurel", Matt pointed out to her, "She is trying to do her job."

"I was", said McKenna in a resigned voice before walking out.

* * *

At the docks, a Vertigo deal was taking place. The dealer took a large baggy of black and green pills from the man in the car and tossed it to the other men-

Only for an arrow from above to intercept it, scattering all its contents on the ground.

The group scattered as the main car sped away while The Hood slid down a chute and landed on the ground. A guard got out of another car and fired at him as he took cover. He fired an explosive arrow, blowing it up. The first car sped up to him straight and he tried to pull out an arrow but the car was too close so he rolled away. When he got up, the car was gone.

* * *

At the Starling City Aquarium, one of the vagrants from the docks who had already taken his Vertigo was staring at the fishes in fascination.

"Don't forget to breathe", he said to the fish, "He won't. I won't-"

A girl looked at him in disgust and said, "Congratulations. You're officially the creepiest person I have ever met."

"I don't- I don't feel so good", he said as he staggered towards her.

"Get away from me, creep", she said as she ran towards a security guard who asked, "Have we got a problem?"

He looked at the vagrant and then back at the woman asking, "Are you okay?"

He tried to ask the woman what the vagrant had said but he snatched the gun from his holster and hit him hard on the back of the head, knocking him out.

The man spun around, waving his gun as the people screamed in terror and dropped to the ground.

* * *

At Verdant, Quentin got out of his car and walked up to Tommy who was overseeing a delivery.

"What are you doing here now, Detective Lance?" said Tommy, "I already told Detective Hall everything."

"Eric Messner?" Lance asked.

Tommy froze for a moment and after taking a breath asked, "Who?"

"He's a zoning commissioner for Starling City", Lance said to him before adding, "A notoriously corrupt one at that. The missing ten grand- you paid it to him to skip the investigation of your nightclub. Why'd you do that, Merlyn? What didn't you want him to find?"

"We got nothing to hide here", Tommy replied.

"Great", said Lance as he walked towards the entrance, "Let's just take a little look around."

"Absolutely", Tommy agreed as he finally looked at Lance, "After you come back with a search warrant."

Lance spun at Tommy and asked, "Are you sure this is how you wanna play this?"

"Apparently", Tommy replied as Lance angrily walked off while Tommy closed his eyes and took a calming breath.

* * *

Back at the aquarium, the vagrant waved his gun wildly t the crowd and yelled, "Stop laughing at me!"

Suddenly, the lights went out and he fired two shots into the air.

"Shut up!" he screamed as people screamed in fear, "Shut up!"

He took out three more Vertigo pills from his pocket and swallowed them.

A club suddenly knocked the gun from his hand and returned to Daredevil's hand. The man looked up at him and The Hood, standing on the balcony and ran off in terror. He ran through a service door to the boiler room, thinking of where to go.

"Stop!" yelled The Hood, "I don't wanna hurt you."

He fired an arrow into a water pipe, causing it to burst. A gush of water hit the man and sent him to the ground as Daredevil and The Hood jumped down and ran over to him.

"We're here to help you", Daredevil said to him. The Hood turned over the man and withdrew the cure arrow he had made. He tried to inject it into the man but he let one final breath out with a shudder and breathed no more.

The Hood looked at Daredevil who shook his head sadly. The two rose up and ran off.

* * *

Later- Matt and Laurel comforted Tommy over what he had been accused of when Oliver rushed past them.

"Oliver?" Matt asked in concern.

Lance and Hall arrived with several cops.

"Mr. Merlyn, as requested, a warrant to search these premises", Lance said to him as he handed it to him.

Laurel snatched the warrant from Tommy and said to her father, "I can't believe you're doing this."

"Believe it", he said coldly.

"Detective, I'm not an attorney but on what grounds are you searching my club?" Oliver demanded of Lance.

"I'm sorry, Oliver", McKenna said to him sincerely with sorrow in her eyes which Oliver accepted with a nod, "But Tommy bribed a government official to keep him from checking the entirety of the building."

"What?" Oliver asked in shock.

"Because he's selling Vertigo out of the club", Lance accused.

"Ollie, it's valid", Laurel told him after reading the warrant.

"Thank you", Quentin said as he walked to the back of the club, "A sub level is not enlisted on the club's floor plans. However, I pulled the county records. There's something down there. I want to see for myself what it is."

He stopped at the door to the basement- and The Hood's lair.

"Oh, look at that", he turned to Oliver, "Open the door."

"You're making a mistake", Oliver said to him.

"No, you are", Quentin said to him, "Now open the door."

"Oliver, please!" McKenna repeated what Lance had said in a gentler tone.

Oliver looked at Matt who nodded and Oliver punched in the code as the door opened.

"Thank you", Lance said as he walked inside and down the steps. They all walked downstairs to the darkened basement. Tommy calmly walked over to the power box and flipped the lever, turning on the light-

On furniture and pallets of wines.

"This place is a kind of a mess", Tommy said casually, "I have been using it to store the bulk of our inventory."

'Smart move, Tommy', Matt complemented him in his head.

"What's in the boxes?" Lance asked and Tommy offered, "Why don't you take a look for yourself?"

Lance opened a box and pulled out- a bottle of wine.

"Well, if prohibition is still in effect, you might actually have a basis of a criminal complaint", Lance said dryly.

"Would you like to open the rest of the crates?" Tommy asked which Lance did and pulled out another bottle of wine. He looked at Tommy in confusion.

"So if there's nothing down here", Lance asked him, "Why didn't you want the Inspector down here?"

"Well, the ventilation system in this place hasn't been updated since the 60s", Tommy noted, "We shouldn't even be open."

Lance looked around and after giving Tommy a look said, "Yeah."

Later- Lance, Hall and the other cops walked out.

"I hope you'll be fine, Tommy", Laurel said to him as Matt nodded.

"Thank you", Tommy said sincerely to them.

"You know?" Laurel said to Matt, "I need to go. It's late. Good night."

"Good night", Matt said to her with a smile as the two shared a quick kiss and she walked away. Matt looked at Tommy and walked towards the bathroom.

After Laurel left, Tommy stormed over to the bar and angrily asked Oliver, "Is there something you want to say to me?"

"Thank you", Oliver said sincerely.

"No, I meant the other thing you were thinking when Lance accused me of dealing out of the club", Tommy accused.

Oliver sighed and said honestly, "I just don't understand why you wouldn't just tell me about the bribe."

"I run the club, Oliver. I don't tell you a lot of things", Tommy said angrily as he picked up his clipboard, "So let me ask you a question, pal", he angrily slammed the board down on the bar and said, "What have I done in the last 6 months that would lead you to think that I have been selling drugs?"

"In the last 6 months? Nothing", Oliver said.

"Yeah", Tommy spat out.

Oliver then rose and accused Tommy, "Before I left, you played hard. You played with bad people who were into bad stuff."

"And so did you, Oliver", Tommy yelled, "But I changed just like you did. And now you put arrows into people who do illegal things", and then he held up his arms, "Last I checked, bribing a city official was not legal."

"Do you actually think that I could hurt you?" Oliver asked him.

"Truthfully I have no idea what the hell you would do", Tommy spat, "You're a complete mystery to me. I have no idea how you find it so easy to kill people. And now before you think the worst of me, imagine what I think of you know."

He jammed his finger into Oliver's chest and walked away.

At that moment, Matt came out of the bathroom, having heard the entire thing. Once Tommy was gone, he said, "Tommy's being a hypocrite. I hope he understands and comes around."

Oliver nodded sincerely at what Matt had said.

"What's his problem?" John asked Oliver about Tommy as he arrived.

Oliver glared at Dig and angrily asked, "What's yours?"

As Matt and Oliver walked to the basement, Dig asked in a confused an annoyed tone, "Excuse me?"

"I asked Felicity to get in touch with you", Oliver told him, "There was a hostage situation at the aquarium."

"I'm sorry", Dig sighed, "I didn't get the message until it was over."

"You're lying", Matt said to him after hearing his heartbeat.

"Why are you lying to me John?" Oliver asked, exasperated.

"I'm sorry, Oliver", John said to him sincerely, "But I was doing something else."

"Is that something else more important than a tense hostage situation?" Matt asked him.

As Oliver glared at him, he said, "Lawton."

Matt and Oliver shook their heads and turned back towards the basement as John said, "Matt, Oliver, you two didn't end up needing me."

"You couldn't have known that", Oliver pointed out.

"In other words, find your brother's killer in your own time, right?" John asked angrily.

"We didn't know you were trying to find your brother when we texted you", Matt pointed out.

"Vertigo's tearing the city apart, Diggle!" Oliver yelled angrily, "So yeah, maybe now's not the best time to engage in a personal vendetta."

"You're actually gonna stand there and tell me that you going after the Count is not personal?" Dig asked angrily and ignoring Oliver's look continued, "Oliver, listen, I cannot read a book to my nephew without knowing that Lawton took his father from him. I can't move on with Carly, I can't move on with my life knowing that he's still out there. I thought that if anybody got that, it'd be you."

Matt and Oliver glared at him for several moments and he glared back, before walking off.

The two vigilantes headed down the basement.

A while later, Felicity arrived and looking around at the crate asked, "What happened here?"

"The Ethernet cable still works", Oliver said to Felicity, "Would you plug in your tablet, please?"

"Did you two decide to remodel?" she asked them.

"It's a long story", Matt told her.

"Where's Dig?" she asked.

"Long story", Oliver said.

"The hostage-taking junkie", Matt got down to business, "He is the only lead to the Count we have left."

"What kind of information are you looking for?" she asked them.

"Anything that will give us a line on the Count's location", Oliver said, "Has the M.E. performed the autopsy report yet?"

"Yeah", she said, "Just pulling it up now."

"Check the toxicology and see if there's something related to Vertigo he was on", Oliver told her as he and Matt moved around to find their gear. Matt's senses helped in that.

"He didn't die of a Vertigo overdose", Felicity told him.

"I saw it, Felicity", Oliver said to her.

"Wait", said Matt, "I remember. He sounded like he was choking. So was it not an effect of Vertigo?"

"No", Felicity said, "According to the Coroner, the cause of death was severe anaphylaxis. He died of an allergic reaction to chlorpromazine."

"That's an anti-psychotic", Oliver noted.

"Pull up Veronica Sparks' autopsy", Matt told her, "Did she have chlorpromazine in her system?"

She pulled it up and after looking at it said, "Yes. How did you know?"

"The Count has added it in his new iteration of Vertigo", Matt said in realization as Oliver realized something, "This amount can only be manufactured in a mental institution."

"Everybody is looking for him outside the asylum", Matt said.

"But what if he never left?" Oliver pointed out, "What if he faked his escape just like he faked his insanity?"

* * *

Later, Daredevil and The Hood broke through the grate and dropped into the service tunnel of the asylum. The Hood lighted a few glow sticks to help him see as he did not have the senses to help him move in the dark.

The two then moved through a deserted wing of the asylum which was shut down due to budget cuts and moved into a surgical wing. They heard a familiar voice. The two moved inside rapidly, drawing their weapons.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance", The Hood growled at a figure seated on a chair in the corner. The Count was facing away from him.

"Turn around", he ordered him.

The Hood was about to place the arrowhead against his neck when Daredevil said, "Wait!"

"What?" The Hood asked him.

"He's mumbling erratically", Daredevil said to him, "He doesn't seem to be aware of our presence."

"He is faking it!" The Hood protested.

"My senses are not fooled", Daredevil told him, "He is actually insane. There are leads attached to his skull to check his brainwave and he is on medication."

"If it's not him", The Hood asked as he looked and saw that Daredevil was right, "Then who is it?"

Suddenly, Daredevil heard someone trying to sneak up on him and ducked to avoid being hit by a large metal pipe. It was the big orderly who had been keeping watch over the Count.

Turning around, Daredevil punched him in the stomach and jumping in the air, hit his chest with both his feet, making him stagger back.

At that moment, Dr. Webb arrived.

"Oh no!" he said.

"So it was you?" The Hood asked him.

"Yes!" Dr. Webb said as he raised his hands, "I performed a biopsy on his kidneys and reverse engineered the chemical compound of the drug, creating my own version with the facilities here."

Daredevil kicked the orderly away again. As the orderly recovered and charged at him again, Dig ran in and kicked him away.

As the orderly fell down, Dig spotted a defibrillator and picked it up, charging the machine and grabbing the paddles. As the orderly got up, Dig placed the paddles on either side of his head and pressed the button, sending an instant electrical shock through his head, killing him instantly.

"Clear", he quipped as Daredevil gave a smirk.

The Hood shot Dr. Webb in the heart and he fell down, dead.

The three walked up to the Count who was still bound to his chair and babbling, "Looks like I'm the last one standing. Sitting. Spinning. Something to do." What was I going to do? Memory not what it once was. Nothing what it once was."

The Hood drew an arrow and aimed it at the Count's head as he leaned towards the arrow and muttered, "Is there a name on the gravestone? No. It's new, and clean, and waiting."

The Hood seemed conflicted. The Count seemed like a pathetic creature right now. Killing him and sparing him would both be a mercy. The Hood wasn't much of a movie guy but The Count currently reminded him of Gollum from 'The Lord of the Rings Trilogy' and it's prequel 'The Hobbit Trilogy.'

And he did what Bilbo had done in the first movie. He lowered his bow and said to Daredevil and Dig, "We're finished here."

The three walked off, leaving the deranged man in his misery.

* * *

Back at Verdant, Oliver walked in just as Tommy was leaving.

"Hey", Oliver asked, trying to be light, "How you doing?"

"In the black", Tommy growled and handed him the tablet, "Did Daredevil and The Hood get their man?"

"Well, we won't be having problems with Vertigo anymore", Oliver told him with a sigh, "Look, Tommy, I'm sorry-"

"I've caught up the bookkeeping and all my notes on the inventory are in there, along with a list of suppliers that we use", Tommy interrupted him.

"Okay", said Oliver in confusion, "I don't see why you're telling me that."

"This club is important to me", Tommy said as he faced Oliver, "But for you, it's just a front. You want me to keep your secret, help you be this thing you've become, but you refuse to see me for what I've become. I've just got a bit too much self-respect for that."

He then stormed off and said angrily, "I quit."

A saddened Oliver was now left alone.

* * *

John arrived in the lair Matt and Oliver were setting things up.

"Hey", the two said to him simultaneously.

"Hey", he replied.

"You had our backs", Matt said to him with a smile.

"You both needed me", Dig said to them sincerely, "Felicity told me where you both were headed."

"You okay?" Oliver asked him, referring to the orderly, "I'm the killer, remember?"

"I've killed before, Oliver", John said to him, "It's just been a while. But if you're the killer, why isn't the Count down too? I'm sure it must have been tempting to take him off the board for good."

"People change", Oliver told Dig.

"People like the Count?" Dig asked in confusion.

"I think you got him wrong", Matt said to Diggle.

"I meant me", Oliver clarified, "Not so long ago, I would have put down that guy for good, but looking at him today, all vacant….. there didn't seem to be a point. But not everybody deserves mercy."

Oliver then pulled up an image of Floyd Lawton on the computer, "For example."

Dig moved closer to look at the picture and said to Matt and Oliver, "I thought he wasn't a priority to the two of you."

"He's a priority to you", Matt told him.

"You two have unfinished business", Oliver said.

Dig stared at the screen and asked in a thankful tone, "Where do we start?"

* * *

"I'd prefer we skip the I-told-you-so's", Tommy said, "But the nightclub wasn't really working out. I need something boring, more stable. Nine-to-five, go home sort of thing."

"I guess what I'm saying is", Tommy sighed as Malcolm turned in his chair to face him, "I want a job."

Malcolm rose up, a small smile on his lips. He pulled Tommy into a hard hug, true happiness on his face while Tommy also smiled, feeling close to his father for the first time in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some might be disappointed that Tommy still left Oliver and went to work with Malcolm but I could not change it and I don't really think Matt's presence would change that.
> 
> Next chapter will be more interesting.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	16. The Man Without Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sinister maniac arrives in Starling City while Oliver and John decide to deal with Floyd Lawton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil, Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.

In the lair, Dig was sparring with Matt. Only, Dig was punching while Matt was catching them with his thick pads as Oliver watched.

"You feel better?" Oliver asked him after he stopped.

"I'll feel better once we end Deadshot", said Dig.

"Amen", Matt agreed.

Later, Dig punched himself out and Oliver promised him, "We will. Diggle, we'll stop him. I promised you I'd help you take him down, and I keep my promises. But he's on the other continent."

"Not anymore", the three turned to Felicity, who was working on the computers, "I thought it would be helpful to track A.R.G.U.S.' manhunt for Floyd Lawton so I decrypted their communication logs. Which means I just hacked a federal agency", she paused, "Which kind of makes me a cyber-terrorist, which is weird because I really don't see myself fitting in well at Guantamo Bay."

"Don't worry Felicity", quipped Oliver, "They don't send blondes there."

"But you dye it, don't you?" Matt asked with a chuckle.

"I keep your secrets", Felicity said as she pointed at them in good humor.

"What'd you find?" Dig asked her.

"Deadshot is scheduled to meet with a potential new client here in Starling City", Felicity revealed, "Except the potential contract is bogus. Your friend Lyla is setting a trap for him. Lawton took the bait."

"Great", said Dig with a satisfied smile, "I'll talk to Lyla. See if I can suss any details out of her."

"Good", said Oliver before turning to Matt, "Come on."

"Yes", said Matt as the two walked out.

* * *

At CNRI, Laurel was working on her computer when Matt and Oliver walked up to her.

"Hi", Matt said to her as she got up and the two shared a kiss.

Laurel then looked at Oliver and the two greeted each other.

"We're really behind on some club paperwork since Tommy left", Oliver commented to them both.

"I'm still shocked he went to work for Malcolm", Laurel said to him as she walked to meet some clients as the two followed her, "You know, you were really understanding to let him take this opportunity. Tommy said you were cool with it."

Matt almost laughed humorlessly at that but instead it came out as a humorless chuckle.

"Why wouldn't I be? He's my friend", Oliver told them, "Like you two."

They stopped at the entrance where a family of three were standing.

"I'm sorry, are we early?" the man asked her.

"No, not at all", Laurel told them before making introductions, "Uh, Matt, Oliver, this is Eric Moore and his wife, Nancy. I'm prepping them for a deposition for tomorrow."

Matt and Oliver nodded politely before the latter pointed at the little child between them and joked, "And this must be your bodyguard."

"This is our son, Taylor", Nancy told them.

Oliver smiled at them all and said, "Well, it was very nice to meet you all. You're in very capable hands."

He then walked off as Matt shook hands with them and said, "Matthew Murdock."

"I think we have seen you on TV", Eric said to him as faint memories of Frank Castle's trial came to his head.

"Eric, Nancy, I want to make sure that you guys are up for this", Laurel told them, "Edward Rasmus isn't known for playing with kid gloves, so this could get rough."

"We invested our entire life savings with Rasmus and he stole it", Eric said bitterly, "Our retirement, Taylor's college fund. He stole our future, Ms. Lance. We want it back."

Matt clutched his stick tightly in anger at the plight of the small, innocent, happy family. But he knew about Rasmus. This could get really bad for them.

"Well, then let's go get it", Laurel said to them as she lead them inside.

"Laurel! Wait!" Matt stopped her by grasping her arm, "A word please."

"Fine", she said as she walked up to him.

"You're taking on a powerful person in court", Matt told her, "I think your clients should get some protection."

"We appreciate the concern, Mr. Murdock, but don't worry", Eric said to him, "If Rasmus kills us tonight, then he will be suspected. He's not that stupid."

Laurel walked off with them as Matt stood alone, thinking what to do. This family wasn't thinking about the consequences of their actions and that could lead to disaster as going against Rasmus wasn't child's play.

* * *

At night, Daredevil crouched on an apartment building in front of the apartment of the Moores. He had a feeling Rasmus would try to kill them, including their little son.

* * *

There was a knock on the door of Eric's apartment. Eric approached and called out, "Hello?"

"Mr. Moore", said the blurry figure of a man from the other side of the frosted door, "I have some documents for you from Ms. Lance related to tomorrow's deposition."

Eric opened the door and a tall, dark man with a well-tailored suit walked in, carrying a briefcase.

He looked around in approval and complemented, "What a nice home you have here."

He held the case in one hand and opened it, reaching inside, "You can really….. feel the love."

At that moment, a figure crashed through the window behind Moore and tackled him to the ground as the man fired two shots with his silenced revolver through the lid. The shots missed Eric due to Daredevil's intervention. Daredevil then got up and running up to the man, gave him a flying kick, sending him flying back by a few feet as the gun and the case fell down. Daredevil kicked the gun away and said to Moore, "Call 911! Go to your room with your family, and lock the door!"

Eric ran off as Edward's assassin, whose name was Mr. Blanks got up.

"Devil of Hell's Kitchen", Blanks said to him, "This is where I send you to the real Hell."

"Let's see who is punished today", Daredevil said to him.

The two then prepared to fight. Blanks tried to spin kick Daredevil but he ducked and jumped to a side. Blanks tried to kick again but Daredevil blocked with his elbow. Blanks tried to punch him but Daredevil blocked and punched him on the face. Blanks tried to punch again but Daredevil again blocked and gave him two more punches on the face.

Blanks tried to punch him twice on the face but he blocked both times and punched him on the face, making him stagger back. Daredevil tried to punch again but Blanks dodged. It had been a long while since Daredevil had been in a full-on boxing fight.

Blanks tried to kick him again but he dodged. Blanks then tried to punch him which he dodged by ducking. Blanks tried to spin kick him again but he ducked and spun around, blocking another kick with his hands and then leaning backwards to avoid another one.

He ducked again to avoid a spin kick and then flipped to avoid another. Getting up, Daredevil punched Blanks hard on the face, making him stagger back in pain and then Daredevil leapt in the air and gave him a hard flip kick, making him smash into the wall and fall down.

He got back up with a roar and tried to kick Daredevil who ducked again and then blocked with his elbows. He tried to kick Blanks who managed to grab his leg but Daredevil had wanted him to do that. Daredevil then gave him a left hook and a right hook and then tried to spin kick him which he avoided by ducking. With a flip, Daredevil freed his leg and then gave Blanks a backward kick on the face, making him stagger back.

Daredevil could end the fight any moment but he was enjoying a good boxing match after a long time. Plus, the family was safe and he had the fight in his bag. Daredevil then ran up to him and with a frontal flip, kicked him on the chin, making him spit out a wad of blood.

He then landed and gave Blanks two spin kicks in quick succession before flipping in the air and flip kicking him, making him fall down.

Blanks managed to get up again somehow. He ran up to Daredevil and tried to punch him again but he ducked and punched him in the abdomen and then on the face. He leaned backwards to avoid a punch from Blanks. He then grabbed Blanks' hand to block another punch and twisted it to restrain him. Daredevil then kneed him twice on the chest before pushing him away.

Daredevil then grabbed his head with his hands and putting him down, kneed him repeatedly on the chest, cracking his ribs. He then pushed Blanks away again. And then in a rotatory motion, Daredevil kicked Blanks in the abdomen, making him fall down.

Blanks got up again, but he was in too much pain to do anything. Daredevil grabbed him by the waist and lifted him into the air before slamming him down hard.

Daredevil then climbed on top of him and punched him repeatedly on the face very hard. Blood started pouring out from the wounded man's mouth as his vision blurred and he finally lost consciousness. Daredevil then slowly stood up and gave a satisfied sigh.

* * *

At the docks, some cars pulled up as men got out of them. Their leader was a Russian who called himself the Chechen. A truck stopped in front of them as some men got out of them but one man remained inside and watched them from the darkness.

The Chechen's men pulled out a man from their car who was mumbling uncontrollably and shaking with fear.

"Look what your drugs did to my customer", the Chehcen said to the man in the darkness.

The man then walked out of the truck. The Chechen and his men gasped at his horrifying appearance. He wore a burlap mask that showed only his eyes and mouth while topping it off with a hat and a cloak.

He seemed to look like a scarecrow. But that was his alias after all.

"I said my compound would take you places", he told the Chechen, "I never said they'd be places you want to go."

"My business depends on my customers", the Chechen argued.

"You don't like my stuff", Scarecrow said to him, "Find another buyer. But wait! There are no sellers of my stuff in Starling City. And Vertigo was the next best thing but it has been ended unfortunately."

The Chechen suddenly pulled out a gun on him and said, "Make this compound better. Men should only go places they want to go."

"Oh!" Scarecrow said to him as he slowly raised his hands. He suddenly activated the fear-inducing hallucinogen on his wrist and sprayed the entire thing on the Chechen and his men, making them cough and splutter around in confusion.

They looked up and screamed in horror at what they saw.

"THERE'S NOTHING TO FEAR!" said a giant demonic scarecrow to them as he towered over them and looked down on them. His hands elongated like vines and the tips of his fingers had claws protruding from them. Bats spluttered around his head.

"BUT FEAR ITSELF!"

* * *

Next day, Oliver walked out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist as the man on the TV spoke the news.

"Starling City is expected to be host of this year's Festival of Lights exhibition. In other news, a man tried to kill Mr. and Mrs. Moore and their son who were being represented by attorney Laurel Lance of CNRI in a lawsuit against financier Edward Rasmus but were saved by Daredevil who defeated the man and now he has confessed that he was there to kill them on behalf of Edward Rasmus, whom the police have now arrested."

Oliver gave a satisfied smirk at his friend's heroism but was disturbed by what the anchor said next.

"A Russian gangster known only as the Chechen and his men were found yesterday night, gasping and shuddering on the docks. It seems they have had a traumatic experience. Their behavior is eerily similar to the ones affected by Vertigo. But the symptoms they are showing resemble those of people who have been poisoned in the past by the fear-inducing hallucinogen developed by Doctor Jonathan Crane aka the Scarecrow, a dangerous criminal from Gotham City who uses the drug to scare people to death."

Oliver had heard of all the nutjobs in Gotham City. That place made Starling City look like a vacation spot in comparison. Matt had already faced two of their heavy hitters- Two-Face and Killer Croc.

But Scarecrow was really dangerous with that hallucinogen.

* * *

Later, Matt and Oliver walked into the lair where Felicity and Diggle were working hard.

"What's this?" Oliver asked them.

"Lyla's mission profile on the trap they've set for Deadshot", Felicity told him.

"Lawton is set to meet his new employer and get his new assignment tomorrow at 8 P.M.", Dig told them, "Only, his new employer will be an A.R.G.U.S. agent, and then, Lyla will swoop in with her team and arrest him."

"Do you want Lawton arrested?" Matt asked John.

Dig considered the question for a few second before answering, "No."

"Then tomorrow night, we cross Lawton's name off your list", Oliver told his friend, "But did you watch the morning news?"

"I did", Felicity told him, "You rock, Matt!"

Matt gave a flattered smirk at that but he knew what Oliver was referring to, "I think he is talking about the incident at the docks."

"Oh!" said Felicity.

"So are we going to try to stop Scarecrow instead?" Dig asked them in a neutral tone.

"No!"

All the heads in the room turned to Matt. He looked very confident and calm. If he could use his eyes, there would be determination in them.

"Go with John, Oliver!" Matt told his friend and fellow vigilante, "Leave Crane to me."

"You think you can handle him alone?" Oliver asked just to be sure.

"I have handled 2 nutjobs from Gotham City", Matt said but then he felt all of them looking at him as he was missing something.

"Okay!" said Matt, "Spider-Man helped me. But Dent was a crime boss with an army while Croc was a giant, man-eating, superhuman crocodile. Crane is neither."

"He has the fear toxin", Oliver pointed out.

"I'll handle it", Matt said confidently, "You two need to get Lawton."

Oliver decided there was no point in arguing with Matt anymore and said, "All right. Just be careful when you face them."

"I will", Matt said to him, "You two be careful too."

Matt and Oliver then shook hands firmly as John nodded at the former.

* * *

That night, Daredevil jumped from rooftop to rooftop, stopping occasionally to save someone from being mugged or to stop any thieves or robbers. But he did not know at the time that he was going to be put through a test.

* * *

Scarecrow was in the docks with his men. He had managed to get a few customers. These were the men who had worked for the Count and had managed to escape when he had been arrested.

The drug had been given to the Count's former thugs and they were paying the money. Of course, illegal activity in the docks now regularly attracted the attention of vigilantes. This time was no different.

Daredevil was crouched on top of a crate, hearing the thugs. Their heartbeats, their breath patterns, their voices. Being in this position reminded him of 2 years ago, when he had crouched on the top of a crate in the docks of Hell's Kitchen. He had worn a black suit back then. He had fought Turk Barrett and his men and saved some women who would have otherwise been sold for sex trafficking.

That had technically been the second time he had solved things like a vigilante. But that had been the first time he had gone up against a bunch of thugs and prevailed. So that had been a test for him.

Little did he know that he was going to face another test now, just not a physical one. Like on that night, Daredevil leapt down from the crate and punched one of Scarecrow's men on the jaw, knocking him out as some blood flowed from his mouth.

He then rose and heard the footsteps of another thug rushing towards him, his heart beating fast due to adrenalin. Daredevil ducked to avoid a punch and then punched him in the abdomen instead before punching him on the knee, making him kneel. He then gave him a flip kick on the face and he was out.

The Count's men had seen him in action on the night the SCPD had arrested the Count. They knew that fighting him would make them get a piece of what their fellow thugs had received that day. Or what Scarecrow's thugs were receiving now.

They bolted and drove away in their cars, not wanting to face the Devil, even if he was not in Hell currently.

Two men attacked Daredevil from both sides. He ducked to avoid their punches before he swept one's feet from under him and turning around, gave the other one a spin kick, knocking him out. He then kicked the one whose feet he had swept and he was out too.

He then heard a thug cautiously try to approach him. He rapidly withdrew his club and threw it on his face, knocking him out due to the blunt force trauma. The club returned to him and he put it back inside.

He could hear someone else running to him, ready to punch. Daredevil spun around and quickly blocked the fist. He knew who the man in front of him was.

"Crane!"

"I am not Crane. I am fear", Scarecrow said. His other hand was already raised, even before he had ran up to Daredevil to punch him. All part of the tactic. He slammed his head on the device on his wrist and then it happened.

The fear toxin had been activated. And it hit Daredevil point blank. The vigilante involuntarily loosened his grip and the maniac was freed. But he was the kind of maniac who liked seeing how his extraordinary work affected the people it was used on. So he just stood there, watching its effects on the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.

Daredevil could feel his senses overload after getting the toxin. He was shaking, swaying, coughing, gasping and shivering, all at the same time. He felt like he was drowning in an ocean. His head felt like it was about to explode from everything it was receiving through his senses.

He was on his knees know. He tried to crawl away, thinking somehow it will grant him reprieve. As his hands fumbled on the ground, they touched someone lying there already. A human.

Matt then crawled till his face was above that of the person on the ground. As he touched the figure's chest, he felt a warm liquid flowing from the person.

Blood!

The man was not moving. Not one bit. He was dead. No heartbeat.

But suddenly, he shook violently. Matt removed his hand in shock. Matt couldn't see but he felt that the man's eyes had snapped open.

"Matty!"

The man spoke with a voice Matt recognized as clearly as his own heartbeat.

"Dad!"

"Matty!" Jack said as he gasped for breath, "Using your fists to solve all your problems, huh? The one thing I told you to never do. And that's the one thing you DID."

"I had to do something, dad", Matt said, as he crouched on the ground, "I had to."

"Then why didn't you do anything to save me?" his father asked, "You could have. You didn't kill the man who murdered me either. I am ashamed of you."

"I am not a killer!" Matt defended himself again.

"Really?" asked a Japanese voice which Matt hated with every fiber of his being.

"Nobu!" Matt said angrily.

Nobu kicked him on the chin and he was thrown away. As he lay on the ground, Nobu stood over him and he twirled his Kyoketsu-shoge.

"You threw me off the roof in a fit of rage, remember?" Nobu reminded him, "One might say you were the Devil in that moment. Playing judge, jury, executioner. You didn't care if I lived or died."

And with that, Nobu roared and brought down the Kyoketsu-shoge on his abdomen, making him roar in pain.

"I told you, Red", Frank roared as he walked over to him, "You are just one bad day away from being me. I told you. But you didn't listen. I was right."

Matt grabbed his head in agony and screamed loudly. He wanted this to stop. All the guilt, all the shame, it was hitting him more than it had ever before.

"I am so disappointed in you, Matty", Stick said to him, "You are a failure!"

"Still haven't come to your senses, have you Matthew?" asked Elektra as she stood over him, "You abandoned me and you did not take the life of your father's killer. And you left me because I wanted you to kill him. I wanted that so that you could make your peace with that incident."

"ELEKTRA! STOP!"

"AND YOU LET ME DIE!" she roared at him, "NOBU KILLED ME AND YOU DID NOTHING!"

"YOU WERE TAKEN FROM ME!" Matt told her, "HE KILLED YOU!"

And then adopting a softer tone, Matt said with tears in his eyes in a shaky voice, "I couldn't do a thing to save you. I am sorry, Elektra. I am so sorry."

"You could have saved her, you know?" said a voice exactly like his, just more cruel and vindictive in tone.

Matt smelt blood. The figure who shared his voice now stood over him.

"You are afraid!" the figure said to him, "You lack the will to do what is necessary. You are a coward! Hear me! I am you, just without those stupid morals! I can kill without remorse, I am the one who can make a change, not you!"

"No", Matt argued as he shook, "I'll never be you. You're a monster."

He didn't get any retort. This time, he heard a thud.

Someone had fallen right in front of where he was kneeling. It was a woman. She was gasping for breath. Matt smelt blood and realized she had been stabbed brutally.

"Matt!" her voice said.

"Laurel?!" Matt said in shock as his voice trembled. He stroked her cheek and asked, "H-How?"

"Because you failed!" she said in a weak, dying voice, "You didn't do what you should have."

"You are weak!" the killer Matt said to him, "You are pathetic!"

Laurel then passed out in his arms. Not moving one bit. But at that moment, he felt something in the back of his head. Something that had been pushed to the back of his head ever since Elektra had died. Something that he had heard.

" _Sometimes, even when you get knocked down, you can still win."_

Matt slowly clenched his hands into fists. He lifted his face up. Turning it to where the killer Matt was standing, he said, "I might reach my breaking point one day. I might snap. I won't deny it. But I'll never be you. You are a monster who enjoys murder. You kill them because you are pleased by their death throes. You are even pleased by the sounds of their bones cracking. I am not that person. If I ever do it, I will never enjoy it. I am not a murderer."

Turning to Frank, he simply said, "I still have one day at least."

Turning to Stick, he said, "You wanted to make a soldier out of a boy who only wanted the love of a father. Like the father he had lost. Just because I am not what you wanted me to be doesn't mean I am a failure."

Turning to Nobu, he said, "I may have tried to kill you, but you have killed millions without remorse. Children! You do not get to judge me for my righteous anger."

Turning to his father, he said, "I was a little child back then. I couldn't have done a thing. I didn't even understand what was going on. And I didn't kill him, because that would make me no different from him."

Turning to Elektra, he said, "We fought him together. You chose to stand by me. You chose to sacrifice yourself. And in your last moments, you said, 'This is what it feels like…. to be good. This is not the end.' I am sorry I could not save you. I will forever be haunted by your death. It was my failure. But I am done blaming myself and thinking of 'what-ifs.'"

And then finally, he turned to Laurel and said, "I will never let you down. I promise. I won't fail you like I failed the others."

And with that, he rose up, slowly, until he was no longer kneeling, but standing. He took a deep breath and now stood still. The hallucinations were gone and his senses were back.

"No! No!" Scarecrow said in a maddened rage, "How? What are you?"

"I am Daredevil", said the vigilante in a tone laced with deadly calm, "The Man Without Fear."

And with that, he roared and leapt into the air, giving Scarecrow a flying kick. Scarecrow flew back by a few feet and his back crashed against a crate. He fell down, unconscious.

Daredevil exhaled sharply several times and then stood still, satisfied with himself. Like that night from 2 years ago, he had passed the test laid in front of him again.

* * *

Next day, Matt sat quietly in the lair, deep in thought, contemplating the events of the previous night.

"Matt!"

Felicity's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, "You okay?"

He had told her about his battle with Scarecrow, but he hadn't told her about being sprayed by the toxin.

"Yeah", Matt assured, "I'm fine."

"Okay", said a convinced Felicity.

Matt then heard two familiar footsteps and heartbeats.

"Oliver and John are back", he said as the two rose.

The two walked in.

Matt shook hands with them and asked, "So? Did you get him?"

Diggle, for some reason, grunted at his question.

"No", he said finally.

"Lawton got away", Oliver said grimly, "Barely."

"I am sorry, John", Matt extended his sympathies.

"No problem, Matt", John assured him, "He came prepared. We couldn't have known."

"I promise you, John, one day, we'll get him", Oliver said to him sincerely and John nodded, knowing that Oliver would never go back on his word.

Turning to Matt, Oliver said, "I heard you got Crane last night. Congratulations, you're the hero again."

Matt accepted with a humble smile, pushing the hallucinations to the back of his head.

Oliver and John seemed to be in a bad mood so he felt a pang of guilt at what he said next.

"Crime rates are increasing in Hell's Kitchen again", Matt said with a guilty sigh.

"Oh!" said Oliver in a neutral tone.

"So you're gonna go?" Dig asked.

"Hell's Kitchen needs me", Matt said to them.

"You're right, Matt", Oliver told him sincerely, "It does need you. Go."

Matt nodded gratefully and made a sincere promise of his own, "I will help you in stopping this archer from destroying the Glades. I promise!"

Oliver and Dig accepted with nods and then Matt walked out of the lair.

* * *

The Dark Archer stood alone in a dark warehouse. Hearing footsteps behind him, he realized the one he had contacted had come.

"Mr. Yamura", he said as he turned around.

Yamura gave him a short bow as a sign of respect. The Dark Archer returned it.

"So I take it you have decided to accept my offer", the Dark Archer said to the Blue Talon.

"I have", the Blue Talon said, "I am not a fan of killing random targets. I am like my master- Damon Dran. He likes destruction, so do I. So this is something I will help you with. And Mr. Merlyn knows what he has to do, right?"

"He does", the Dark Archer told the Blue Talon, "After the Glades are destroyed, he will give the blueprints of the Makrov device to you which you can give to Mr. Dran. I think he will like destroying something with it."

"Good", said Blue Talon.

"And you know", the Dark Archer said, "He has decided to send another person with you for the job. You'll like him.

* * *

Arkham Asylum, Gotham City

The Dark Archer easily used his stealth and evaded all security. He then reached a medical facility inside it. In there was a giant man, with a luchador mask on his face. There was a storage tank on his back and there were tubes connected to it.

"Wake up!" the Dark Archer said and the man's eyes opened.

"What do you want?" he asked the Dark Archer.

"I want you to do something for me", the Dark Archer said, "In return, you are getting something you crave for. So I hope we have a deal, Bane!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this. I tried to do my best here. It was pretty hard to write but I hope I did a decent job.
> 
> I think that the best way to give Matt his other famous title was to bring in Scarecrow himself. The hallucinogen affects different people in different ways. I think Matt's greatest fears are- becoming a heartless killer, facing the loved ones he failed and losing someone else close to him.
> 
> But I read an old Batman comic in which he managed to overcome it with his will power so that's what I did here. Daredevil is 'The Man Without Fear' because he overcomes the fear and masters it with courage.
> 
> And I would like to tell Chaos Sorcerer that I used a fight scene of Boyka from 'Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing' in the fight between Matt and Blanks.
> 
> I know Deadshot still escaping sucks and the fact that I didn't cover it makes it worse but let's just say I have reasons for that and I could not think about writing a way of his escape which makes perfect sense to everyone. Hope you don't mind.
> 
> I hope you liked the fight scene between Matt and Mr. Blanks.
> 
> Next chapter will include 1x21 and some incident in Hell's Kitchen.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	17. The Undertaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver, John and Felicity try to find Walter Steele while Matt makes a shocking discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil, Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.

In an office downtown, the underworld accountant known as Harold Backman was putting banded stacks of $100 bills into a metal briefcase as he talked on his speakerphone.

"Call Cayman Fidelity", he said as his two bodyguards looked around, "Tell them their favorite accountant is flying in to make a special deposit for a special client."

He was grinning the entire time but the grin faded when he heard the elevator ding.

"The elevator's supposed to be on a key", he said to the bodyguards, "Go, check it out."

One of the men took the briefcase and both headed to the elevator with guns drawn.

They looked in confusion as the door opened by itself. Suddenly, The Hood crashed down from the roof. Before the men could do a thing, he smacked the legs of the man with the briefcase using his bow, making him fall down. He then smacked him on the face and he was out.

The other man fired but The Hood picked up the briefcase and held it up. It deflected the bullets but they made dents on it. Soon, the gun was emptied. The Hood then smacked his hands with the briefcase, disarming him of the gun.

As he rose, the man tried to punch him but he ducked and then deflected all his punches with his elbows. He then gave him a kick in a rotatory motion on the chest and he was thrown back by a few feet. He fell unconscious on the floor, right in front of a horrified Backman.

The Hood grabbed Backman by the collar and slamming him against the wall growled, "Harold Backman, you have failed this city!"

Backman cowered and clutched his laptop tightly, "I am only an accountant. I'm just the money."

"The money that leads to extortion, kidnapping and drugs", The Hood growled loudly enough to make Backman almost wet his pants, "It's the destruction of innocent lives!"

"You think you scare me more than the people you work for?" Backman asked as he regained composure.

"No", The Hood said before declaring, "They can deal with you."

He then knocked Backman out with the bow and took his laptop. He then walked away.

* * *

In the lair, Oliver put the laptop down in front of Felicity as Diggle watched.

"Hmmm", she muttered, "Let me guess. Some bad guy missing his fancy new laptop."

"Harold Backman", Oliver said, "He's who Starling City's worst call when they want to launder the money in the Caymans."

"Shouldn't we just turn this over to, I don't know, the IRS?" she asked him as she opened the laptop, booted it up and connected it to her system.

"We will", Dig told her, "Just as soon as you return the money to its rightful owners."

Felicity tried going through the records but the screen flashed red, "Well, it sounds like a very nice idea. Backman's files are all protected with an asymmetric encryption algorithm."

"Really?" Oliver asked though he had no idea what it meant, "So it's gonna take a while to break in."

"Days, at least", she muttered as she started working hard.

"Better get started, then", Diggle encouraged her with a smile.

* * *

At Queen Manor, Moira was talking angrily to Walter's Life Insurance Company, "Yes. I know it's been 6 months but-"

They cut her off to tell her about some rules and statistics as she growled in frustration, "I am very well aware of the statistics. But I haven't given up hope, and neither should you."

She cut the call and sighed in frustration.

"That didn't sound so good."

Moira turned to the doorway to see Thea and reassured her daughter in a tired tone, "Oh, its fine."

"Who were you talking to?" Thea asked her.

"Just the life insurance company", Moira said in a sour tone, "They insist on paying out Walter's life insurance policy."

Thea approached her mother awkwardly and said, "I know we haven't talked about Walter in a while, but I-I miss him too. It's like losing dad all over again."

Moira gathered her sad daughter in her arms and gave her a tight hug of comfort, silently enraged at Malcolm for once again tearing apart her family.

* * *

Verdant was closed, but Laurel was sitting there, drinking coffee.

"Of all the gin joints, and all the towns in the world, she walks into mine", Oliver joked as he walked in from behind.

"This coffee's terrible", Laurel said dully.

"That's what you get for ordering coffee in a bar", Oliver joked with a grin before saying in a concerned tone, "You look tired. Too much work?"

"Yeah", she said, "And no time to blow off. Matt went back to New York for some work."

"Oh!" Oliver said though he already knew that, "So when will he be back?"

"A week", she said, "But you know, it's just not good."

"What?" Oliver asked.

"One moment, he is in Starling City", she said, "Another, he is in New York. I mean, he is blind and yet because of me, he keeps moving in between both the cities. I think this is taking a toll on him."

"I know", said Oliver, "But he does too. And yet he still does it. He loves you, Laurel."

"I know", she said, "But it's not fair to him. Or to me. Why should we undertake a long journey just to see each other?"

"Decent point", said Oliver, "You want him to move in or what?"

"Last time I asked a boyfriend that, it didn't go well", she reminded him and he winced.

"I'm sorry", he said to her before saying, "Just talk to him. Both of you should be sure of what you both want."

Suddenly, the door behind the bar burst open and Felicity stormed out, "Oliver, I need to show you what-"

She paused on seeing Laurel.

"I just totally walked in on a thing, didn't I?" she asked awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, uh, who are you?" Laurel asked Felicity.

"Nobody", Felicity said and winced, "I mean, I'm not nobody. I'm someone, obviously. And so are you. You're Laurel, right? That Laurel. Gorgeous Laurel."

Oliver was amused by her babbling but still interrupted for her sake, "This is Felicity. She's setting up my Internet."

"Router", Felicity automatically corrected, "And I need to show Oliver something very important about it."

"I'll let you go then", Laurel said with a kind smile, "Thank you for the coffee and the advice."

Oliver walked down to the basement with Felicity where John was already waiting.

"She has done better than getting in", John commented to him about Felicity.

"I hacked Cayman Fidelity and put together a list of all deposits Backman made last year", Felicity told him.

"Felicity, what good does it do if we don't know whose money it was?" Oliver asked in frustration.

She handed him a printout and said, "Look at the biggest deposit he made last year. Bottom page."

Oliver sighed, "$2 million on Decem-"

He paused and realized what this was about, "December 12. That's the day Walter disappeared."

"What if one of Backman's clients was paid $2 million to kidnap Walter?" Felicity said.

"Then we need to find the client", Dig said.

"And use him to find Walter", Oliver declared, "Okay, back-trace the account, follow the money, hopefully, it will lead us to whoever kidnapped Walter."

"You think he's still alive?" John asked him.

After a sigh, Oliver admitted, "I don't know."

The computer beeped and Felicity announced, "Got it", pulling up the name, "Dominic Alonzo."

"Yeah", Oliver sighed.

"Name ring a bell?" Felicity asked him.

"Alonzo runs the biggest underground casino in Starling City when he's not busy kidnapping", Oliver told her.

"He seems like the kind of guy someone would pay to kidnap Walter", Dig said.

"How many arrows do you think you have to put in him to get Walter's location?" she asked Oliver, "A lot?"

"It's not that simple", Oliver said, "The casino has its own private army. We need to access Alonzo's computer, but without setting off any alarms."

"So it's a casino", John said, "Which means there would be people playing cards."

"Right", Oliver said as he realized what John was getting at, "Let's go."

* * *

Later, Oliver and Dig were in the Glades, near Alonzo's casino. The latter was wearing a well-tailored suit.

"So the plan is for me to get caught while counting cards, huh?" Dig asked just to be sure.

"Yeah", Oliver confirmed, "So you can get a warning from Alonzo and plant a bug on his office."

"And if I get more than a friendly warning?" John asked with a smirk.

"I dread to think what will happen to Alonzo", Oliver chuckled.

Oliver took his position by the fire escape directly across from the club. He had planted a small listening device at the club's doors to hear everything and was watching through binoculars.

A limo pulled up and a man walked out, approaching the two heavily armed security guards.

"Password", one of them said.

"Snapdragon", said the man and they nodded, letting him in.

"Password's Snapdragon", Oliver told Dig via comms.

"Noted", Dig said.

He walked to the door and the guard said, "Password."

"Snapdragon", John replied and the guards nodded, letting him in.

As he made his way to the casino floor, he looked around and told Oliver, "6 armed guards, two pit bosses, and a floor man."

John took a seat at a blackjack table and pulled out a $10,000 in a banded stock of $100's, which Oliver had given him.

"One stack of High Society, please", he said as he passed the bills over to the dealer. The dealer looked at him in surprise, then took the money and flipped through it. He looked back at the pit boss, who nodded as a sign of 'okay.'

* * *

At Merlyn Global, Malcolm was smiling due to his good mood when Moira walked in.

He prepared two drinks and said to her happily, "Thank you for stopping by."

"Of course", said Moira as she put her coat on a chair, "Uh, you said you had good news."

"I do", he said with a wide smile, "It's ready."

Moira froze in shock but kept her face neutral as he continued, "The Markov device passed its final beta test this morning. Applied Sciences is loading it on a truck bound for Starling City as we speak. It will arrive here through New York."

Malcolm closed the bottle of scotch and handed her one of the glasses while she managed to feign happiness.

"Well", she said, "Congratulations are in order then."

"To both of us", Malcolm said and they were both silent for a moment before he said, "Moira, you may be surprised to know that sometimes, I wavered in my convictions. But your friendship, your endless support, always gives me the strength I need to carry on", he said with honesty as Moira's heart pounded in her chest even though she managed to not show it.

"After all, you and I will always have a connection", he said with a smile as Moira nodded and said, "I'm just sorry Robert's not here to celebrate with us."

"I'm sorry I had to take him from you", he said and he meant it.

"If anyone's to blame for his death, it's me", she said and she too meant it.

Malcom raised his glass and toasted, "To Robert."

Moira raised her glass and toasted, "To Rebecca."

* * *

Back at the casino, Dig was on a hot streak. He pushed a considerable pile of chips forward and bet them all. The dealer looked at him and then at the pit boss, before he dealt. The first card was an ace, the second was-

"Blackjack!" he called out and Dig smirked as he took the doubled pile of chips. He knew the pit boss was moving towards him.

"Sir" the man said to John, "Can you come with me?"

He wasn't asking but telling.

"Something wrong?" Dig asked casually.

"Get up", he growled.

"Fine", said Dig with a scoff, as if to show the boss he wasn't worth his time but he was still coming with him.

Another man joined the escort and they headed to the manager's office.

"The bathroom", Dig said as he looked at it, "So the manager's office is down the hall and to the right of the bathroom."

The pit boss lead him to the office and said, "Mr. Alonzo."

The man looked up and gestured to the pit boss who roughly pushed Dig inside and closed the door.

"Have a seat", Alonzo offered which John took with a neutral expression as the man asked, "What's your name?"

"Thomas", said Dig.

"Do you know where the term '86' comes from, Thomas?" Alonzo asked.

"I do", said Dig calmly, "It's from prohibition."

"Now it means to ban someone, someone who's cheating", Alonzo said to him, "You're 86'd. Leave your chips and go."

"Okay", said Dig as he got up to leave when the pit boss roughly shoved him back.

"Touch me again and I'll leave your broken bones here too", Dig threatened.

Instead of responding, the pit boss scanned a device over him and it beeped.

"Oh yeah, Thomas", said Alonzo as he rose and walked towards him, "You see, the thing about card counters is, uh, sometimes, they work with a partner."

He reached up to Dig's ear.

That moment, Dig grabbed his arm and punched him away before turning to the pit boss and kneeing him in the stomach, making him double down.

* * *

Out in the alley, Oliver heard the sounds of punching and kicking and snapped into action.

* * *

Everybody was having fun in the casino, going about the routine they followed in there. Suddenly, they heard gunshots and the door burst open, revealing The Hood standing there.

He slammed a guard through the door. Another rushed him, but he side-stepped and gave him a little push which, combined with his momentum, smashed him into a blackjack table. Another arrived. The Hood blocked his hit and slammed him into a glass table.

He looked up and saw a guard with a gun standing near him, pointing his gun. The Hood suddenly picked up shards of the glass and threw them at his eyes, which sent him down in pain as he rolled over a table and jumped down to avoid gunfire.

He then rose and fired, hitting a gunman in the chest. He ducked to avoid more gunfire and rising up, fired again, killing him. He ducked to avoid the last man's gunfire which shattered the glass. He then rose and fired, killing him.

The Hood then walked into the manager's office. The pit boss was on the ground, writhing in pain while the other man was down too.

Alonzo was on the ground, cowering at the sight of The Hood and John.

"Where's Walter Steel?" The Hood demanded.

"What?" he asked, feigning confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"Six months ago you had him kidnapped?" The Hood growled as he lifted him up and slammed him against the wall.

"It was just a job", Alonzo protested, "I was given a name, I didn't ask any questions."

The Hood gripped him by the jaw and squeezed, "Last chance. Where is he?"

"Below ground."

The Hood's eyes widened in shock and so did John's.

"You're lying!" The Hood growled as he tightened his grip.

"I'm not", Alonzo said, "I delivered him and they killed him. I heard the gunshot. He's dead."

The Hood let him go and knocked him out angrily. He took some deep breaths to calm him down.

* * *

Oliver and John walked into the lair where Felicity was waiting for them anxiously.

"What happened?" she asked, not noticing their expressions, "Did you find him?"

That's when Oliver looked at her and she saw the pain in his eyes.

"No!" she said as tears welled up in her eyes, "No!"

Oliver just shook his head sadly and she fell into his arms, silently weeping. He himself had tears in his eyes.

* * *

At Queen Manor, Moira and Thea were sitting on a couch, wrapped in a blanket. Thea was teaching her mother how to shop clothes online.

"You're a miracle worker, Thea", Moira said warmly.

"When it comes to shopping, it's not work, really", Thea said with a smile before noticing Oliver walking in, "Hey. I'm teaching mom the joys of online clothes shopping."

The smile fell from his face as she saw Oliver's expression, "Ollie? Are you okay?"

"I need to talk to you both", he said quietly.

"What is it?" Moira asked him.

"It's about Walter", he said as he sat down stiffly.

"Did the police contact you?" she asked him.

Oliver started spinning a story to reveal the truth, "One of Mr. Diggle's army buddies works for the F.B.I. now. And they got the news."

"No", Thea whispered, horrified, as she shook her head.

Oliver was barely holding back his own tears and said sadly, "I'm very sorry."

"No, no, no, no, no. There must be some mistake", Moira said before demanding, "Who did Mr. Diggle talk to? Did they find a body?"

Oliver looked at her with a pained expression and said, "Mom… Walters' gone."

"No, this isn't right", Moira said as she got up and started heading out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Oliver asked her.

"Out."

"Its 10:00 at night", he pointed out.

"I need some air", she retorted.

"Mom, you're in shock", Oliver said.

Moira spun around and snapped, "Don't you tell me what or how I feel, Oliver!"

She hurried out of the room while Oliver watched, shocked. He wasn't the only one.

"Why is she acting like that?" Thea asked with tears in her eyes.

Oliver held out his arms and said, "Come here."

He wrapped his little sister in a hug as she broke down in his arms.

* * *

Moira stormed into Malcolm's office just as he finished talking to a pair of Chinese businessmen.

"You lied to me", she said angrily, paying no heed to the businessmen, "We had a deal."

Malcolm froze but kept his smile so as to not alert the two men.

He then addressed them in Chinese after which they rose and left.

Moira then walked up to him while he calmly asked, "What are you talking about?"

"You promised if I cooperated with the Undertaking, Walter wouldn't be harmed!" she exclaimed.

With a serious face, Malcolm said, "And he hasn't been. I'm a man of my word, Moira."

"We both know better than that", she said as he tensed, "And I know you've had him killed."

Malcolm pressed a button on his speaker phone and ordered the person on the other end, "Turn on the camera."

He opened a laptop on his desk and turned it to face her. A live video stream appeared, showing Walter in his cell.

Moira let out a relieved sob, "Oh Walter…."

"Like you said, Moira, we have an agreement", Malcolm said.

* * *

An arrow with a recording device had been embedded outside in the wall next to the window, unnoticed by either of them. On the opposite roof, The Hood listened to it, "Walter would stay in my custody until the Undertaking is over", Malcolm's voice said, "We're both in this together."

There was a look of shock and betrayal on his face. His mother had always acted weird since he had returned, but this…..

* * *

Later, Oliver sat alone in the foundry. He had been there for hours. John and Felicity walked in and the latter turned on the lights.

"I've been sitting in the dark all day too", she said to him in a dull tone, "All these months I kept thinking if I could find a clue, I could get a lead on him", she sighed, "Guess it wouldn't have mattered. Can't imagine what your family's going through."

"I am sorry, man", John said sincerely.

"Walter's alive", Oliver interrupted them and they looked shock.

"What?" Felicity asked in confusion, "But didn't that Alonzo say-"

"You were right, John!" Oliver said to Dig who looked at him in confusion, "About my mother!"

Dig's eyes widened in shock.

"I need you to pull up Malcolm Merlyn's phone records", Oliver ordered Felicity, "He made a call from his office to wherever Walter is being kept at 10:30 PM."

"Malcolm Merlyn?" John asked in stunned shock, "Tommy's father?"

"Why would he kidnap Walter?" asked an equally shocked Felicity.

"Please do it", Oliver asked her and she did.

"L.U.D. showed he made a call to a tenement complex in Bludhaven", Felicity said.

Oliver got up and walked over to her, "Can you pull up a satellite view?"

"Okay", she said as she hacked into an ARGUS thermos imaging satellite. The screen then showed a thermal cam of the apartment, with all the guards arrayed around it.

"That's a lot of security for low income housing", Felicity noted.

"There's 2 guards stationed at all access points", John pointed out.

"There's just one on the roof", Oliver noted.

"There's no other buildings in the area", John said, "If you want to get on that roof, you have to jump off of something."

"I've got something", Oliver growled and walked away while John and Felicity looked at the thermal cam again.

* * *

A few hours later, a lone cargo plane flew over Bludhaven. As it flew over the apartment complex, The Hood parachuted out and landed gently on the roof. He quickly cut it away.

He slid down the access stairs, feet first, kicking the lone guard off the roof. He then opened the door and walked in.

In the security room, one guard watched the monitors and then suddenly saw The Hood smacking away a man with the bow and kicking another away.

"There's a problem in Quadrant 4", he announced over the radio.

The Hood slowly walked down the dark hallway, with an equally dark mood. A guard suddenly appeared and tried to punch him which he dodged by ducking and then blocked another punch before knocking him out with one of his own.

Spinning around, he smacked another thug with his bow and he was down. A third tried to kick him but he backed to avoid and then kicked him in a spin motion on the chest, knocking him down and then he hit him on the head, putting him out. Another thug arrived. He spun, trying to smack him with the bow but he managed to duck. He dodged a punch from the thug as another arrived. The Hood hit his chest with the bow and he was out. The first thug tried to punch him but he grabbed his arm while kicking a third one down. He then punched the thug on the face and he was out.

Spinning around, he quickly fired an arrow at a guard's shoulder before he could fire. He spun again and fired at another guard before he could be shot down. He then shot another guard who was with the previous one.

One thug leapt at The Hood from behind and grabbed him. The Hood elbowed him and he let go. Him and another thug tried to kick him high simultaneously but he ducked to avoid. He slammed one into a door and he was out before taking down the other with an arrow.

Two thugs attacked him with bats from both sides. He punched one and spinning around, gave him a backward kick to the knee, making him kneel before he punched the other too. He then spin kicked him on the knee and he was down before he turned around and smacked the legs of another thug who was rushing him with the bow, taking him down.

He punched another thug on the knee and he knelt. The Hood punched him on the face, smacked him and then flipped him over his shoulder, slamming him to the ground.

He then turned around and fired at another man, taking him down. A last thug tried to sneak up on him. He elbowed the thug thrice. He blocked a strike from the thug and punched him in the stomach. He ducked to avoid another strike and grabbing his head, slammed it on a light fixture, shattering it into pieces, and then he slammed it twice on the wall before he was out.

He then looked at all the disabled men and walked further.

He then arrived in front of a heavy iron door. It was bolted shut, but not locked. He was about to slide the bolt back when he heard something approaching from the side.

He quickly notched an arrow as he spun around but stopped on seeing the source of the sound. In front of him stood a man wearing a high tech suit with eskrima clubs in his hand. He had a domino mask to cover his face and also wore a utility belt. He was in a defensive positon already, having taken it when The Hood had spun around to fire his arrow.

But The Hood knew who this man was. He slowly lowered his bow as the man lowered his sticks and put them back inside.

The Hood then looked at him and acknowledged, "Nightwing!"

"So you know about me?" Nightwing asked.

"I know everything about vigilantes residing in different cities", The Hood said.

"I know about you too", Nightwing told him.

"What're you doing here?" The Hood asked.

"Funny", said Nightwing as he walked up to him, "I was going to ask you the same thing. I saw you parachuting down from that plane and arrived here to investigate."

"These men have abducted the C.E.O. of Queen Consolidated- Walter Steele", The Hood explained, "I am here to save him."

"All right", said Nightwing, "Let's do it."

The Hood nodded and slid the bolt back.

Walter lay there, huddled on his side on a thin mattress on the floor.

The Hood feared that Walter was dead but then saw him stir slightly and realized he was asleep.

He called out to him, "Mr. Steele."

When he didn't stir, Nightwing said a little more forcefully, "Mr. Steele."

Walter jumped slightly as he woke up. He rolled over and saw the vigilantes standing on the door.

"What?" he asked in a raspy voice, "What's happening?"

"He saved you", Nightwing told Walter.

"And now you're going home", The Hood said to him.

* * *

The next day, Walter was taken to Starling General Hospital by a helicopter. A tearful Moira stood on the other side of the door and on seeing him, she opened the door and ran up to him.

"I thought I'd never see you again", she said tearfully as the two embraced.

Oliver and Thea followed her inside.

"I'm all right", Walter assured her.

"Welcome home, Walter", Oliver said kindly.

Walter looked at him and warmly said, "Thank you, son."

As Oliver smiled, he looked at a crying Thea.

"Thea", he said to her happily.

She collapsed into his arms and cried happy tears.

Their attention was attracted by a knock on the door and they spun around to see Felicity standing there, holding a pot of flowers in her hands.

"This is totally a family thing, isn't it?" she asked awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Moira asked her politely.

"This is Felicity", Oliver introduced her, "She's my friend."

"Mine too", Walter said with a smile, "It's good to see you."

"You too", Felicity replied warmly as she set the flowers down, "I'll let you guys get back to your hugging."

Moira and Thea laughed and hugged Walter again as Felicity smiled at Oliver, who smiled back. She then walked out.

"Oliver", Moira beckoned him as she held out her hand, "We're all together again. Everything's gonna be all right."

Oliver looked at her and held her hand very lightly, barely masking the hurt he felt from her betrayal.

* * *

Later, Oliver walked out of the room to get some air and to be at a safe distance from his mother as he could not look at her without thinking about the previous night and the way she had betrayed not only her family, but her humanity.

"Oliver", called out a voice. The owner of the voice was the only person in the world who currently made Oliver angrier than his own mother.

He gritted his teeth but managed to plaster a smile as he turned towards Malcolm Merlyn.

"What a miracle. How's Walter? The police are saying that he was rescued by the vigilante", Malcolm said to him.

"Yes, he was", Oliver said softly, trying his best to resist the urge to punch Malcolm.

"Has he said anything about his ordeal?" Malcolm asked, "Was he able to identify any of his captors?"

"No", Oliver said.

"Hmmm, that's too bad", Malcolm noted.

"They'll get what's coming to them", Oliver said firmly.

As Malcolm looked at him curiously, he said, "I'm just glad my family's back together."

"We all are", Malcolm replied and the two stared at each other for a moment in silence.

"Ollie", Laurel called out from the end of the hall, breaking the tension.

"Excuse me", Oliver said to Merlyn as he walked towards Laurel.

"Is Walter okay?" she asked, "I saw it on the news."

"Yeah", Oliver said, "He is."

* * *

Later, back at the lair, Oliver walked in as John stood there.

"So I was right about your mother?" Dig asked him.

"Yes", Oliver said, "I'm sorry I did not believe you but you were right. She is involved in the Undertaking. She lied to me. To Thea. She's working with Malcolm Merlyn. They are planning to destroy the Glades with a device."

John could only look at him in shock while he said, "And we're going to stop them."

John nodded firmly.

* * *

A lone truck sped on. In the trailer was a crate marked 'Unidac Industries' and the truck's destination was Starling City. Right now, it was passing through Hell's Kitchen in New York.

* * *

Daredevil was crouched on a rooftop. He had stopped some robberies here and there. He then heard a truck moving. Normally, it wouldn't be a cause of concern for him. But this time, it was- for several reasons.

First of all, he heard a breath pattern which he recognized. It was the man who had fought him when Lawton had tried to assassinate Malcolm Merlyn. He was sitting on the front seat of the truck while another man was driving it.

As he strained his ears a little, he heard several heartbeats in the trailer of the truck. Men were in there. But then he heard really heavy breathing and an erratic heartbeat. Someone really dangerous and big was in there with those men. He also sensed a really light humming sound from within the crate.

He then realized the truck was moving towards Starling City and also figured out that a machine was making the humming sound. He then gasped as he realized what the truck was carrying. It needed to be stopped.

* * *

The man was still driving with Blue Talon sitting next to him. Suddenly, a club smashed through the window and hit him on the head, knocking him out. The truck swerved but Blue Talon took the steering wheel and managed to get it under control before applying the brakes and stopping it.

He then opened the door and walked out of the truck, looking around angrily. Daredevil tried to sneak up on his from behind but he spun around and smacked him on the face and then on the chest before giving him a flip kick.

Daredevil staggered but recovered. He ducked to avoid another chop and punched Blue Talon in the stomach and then kicked him on the knee. As he staggered, Daredevil leapt into the air and gave him a frontal flip kick, pushing him away by several feet.

He then ran to the back of the truck. The thugs were already out and two of them had closed the door again. Whatever the giant was, he was still inside.

The thugs aimed their guns at him and fired. He flipped to avoid the shots and threw his club at one's legs, making him stagger while he flipped and disarmed another thug before giving a spin kick to a third, knocking him out.

He punched out the disarmed man and kicked the previous one on the face, knocking him out too. With his club, he knocked out another man before the remaining 7 thugs reloaded and fired at him again. He ran and jumped behind a car, taking cover.

The thugs ran out again and he flipped, landing in front of the car. But instead of fighting, the thugs parted. Suddenly, the door behind the truck burst open and the giant man ran out at full speed. He ran into Daredevil and the impact sent him flying back by several feet before he landed painfully on his back.

He groaned in pain but managed to pick himself up. He used his super smell and smelt some kind of drug he had never smelt before inside the storage tank on the man's back.

He did not know that this was the enhancement compound known as Venom which gave this giant man called Bane a humongous amount of superhuman strength.

Daredevil ducked to avoid a punch from Bane and flipped behind him to avoid a swipe. Bane turned around and brought his fists down on him but he side-stepped to avoid and punched him on the face, very slightly damaging him but it didn't bother him.

Bane roared and lifted Daredevil over his head. He then threw him away and he smashed through the car under which he had taken cover earlier.

"I am going to break you, Devil", Bane threatened as he moved closer.

Daredevil groaned and struggled to get up but he was kicked on the chest by Blue Talon who had recovered. As he staggered back, Blue Talon swept his feet from under him and kicked him on the face.

Daredevil got up but Bane grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air. He then threw him away towards the truck. He fell just near the truck.

"Kill him", Blue Talon ordered the thugs.

Two of them raised their guns to shoot him. Suddenly, there was a gunshot and one of them fell down, dead. The other looked around in confusion when he was hit by an arrow on the neck and he died.

Daredevil would have thought that Punisher and The Hood had joined forces to help him but this arrow made a different sound when it pierced through the air. It seemed more- metallic.

He then heard two unfamiliar heartbeats from the rooftop. Bane, Blue Talon and the remaining 5 thugs looked up and saw two figures. One of them was a tall, muscular man, with short black hair, wearing a black suit. He held a compound bow in his hand and had a specialized arrow quiver in his back in which there were several arrows- standard and trick.

Next to him was a beautiful woman with long, red hair. But it was a fatal flaw to judge her solely by her beauty as her eyes had a deadly glare in them. She wore a bluish-black catsuit and held a pair of Glock 6 hand guns in her hand.

The archer then fired a grapple arrow on the building opposite to them as the woman held on to him. He then used the grapple arrow to swing with the woman. When they were at a safe distance from the ground, he let it go and they dropped on the ground and quickly jumped behind the truck to avoid gunfire.

The archer suddenly fired an arrow from underneath the truck and it hit one of the thugs right on the leg. He then pressed a button on his bow and the arrow sent electric shocks through the thug, sending him into violent spasms as he lost consciousness.

By now, the thugs had emptied their guns. The man and the woman leapt form over the truck and the former turned his bow into a bo staff.

A thug rushed him but he side-stepped and smacked his face with the bow, knocking him out. Another thug attacked the woman but she leaned sideways to avoid and then hit his elbow before twisting his arm violently. She then gave him a rotatory kick in the abdomen before doing a spin motion and sweeping his feet from under him. She kicked him on the face and he was out.

Another thug rushed her but she leapt on him and put her fists on the side of his head. Her bracelets discharged powerful electric currents into the man's head and he went down with violent spasms.

The last thug rushed the two but was hit by the Billy club which returned to Daredevil's hands. He suddenly heard the sound of the engine starting and spun around, only for the truck to be driven off. Blue Talon was now driving it while Bane was still on the back.

"Oh no!" Daredevil muttered angrily.

"Devil of Hell's Kitchen!" the archer said to him as he looked around, "Nice to meet you. This place really is Hell on Earth."

"That's what happens when corrupt officials and crime infect a place", Daredevil said, "Who are you both?"

"I'm Clint Barton", the archer said, "Codenamed Hawkeye."

"I'm Natasha Romanoff", the woman said, "Codenamed Black Widow."

"We're Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", Clint finally said.

"I know about it", Daredevil said, "But why are you telling me you're its agents? I don't think you're supposed to do that."

"We know who you are", Natasha said and his jaw dropped.

"Come on, don't be Watcher in the water", Clint joked at Daredevil's hanging jaw which looked like it would swallow something.

"We are world-class spies", Natasha said, "What do you expect, Matt?"

"Why are you here?" Matt finally asked as he regained composure.

"We found out Bane has been broken out of Arkham Asylum", Natasha said, "When a dangerous world-class mercenary like him is out, with the Venom inside him, it is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s business."

"They're going to Starling City", Matt told them.

"How do you know, Mr. Satan?" Clint asked casually.

"I team up with The Hood occasionally", Matt told them, "Sometime ago, we found out that another archer was planning to destroy the Glades with a device he has built. And that device was inside the 'Unidac Industries' crate in this truck."

Now it was Natasha and Clint whose jaws dropped.

"You and Oliver know anything else?" Natasha asked.

"No", Matt said without asking about how they knew Oliver was The Hood.

"I guess we need to go to Starling then", Clint said.

"We do", said Matt, "And we have to stop them all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn't see that coming? With Blue Talon and Bane on Malcolm's side, I think some Marvel heroes need to come around too to help. These are the MCU versions of the two I am using now.
> 
> And Nightwing also had a cameo. Hope you liked that.
> 
> So with Black Widow and Hawkeye around, I guess things are gonna change soon for the next 2 episodes.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	18. Darkness on the edge of town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt, Oliver, Clint, Natasha, John and Felicity try to find the location of the Markov device.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil, Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.

Two young scientists in white coats were walking in Unidac Industries. One male and one female. They were walking to the main laboratory. The guy was hoping to get lucky.

"So I was wondering", he started, "There's a late night happy hour at Stella's. You know, the place across the street."

"You mean the place that's always playing loud salsa music at all times while I'm trying to work late?" she asked crossly.

"That-that would be the one, yeah", he said lamely, "Anyways, I was thinking that, um, maybe, you know, if you wanted to, perhaps, we could grab a drink?"

She punched in the code for the lab and the two walked in through the decontamination into the main lab.

"How about two?" she asked as she walked past him- and gasped in shock on seeing her coworkers lying dead.

"Oh, my God!"

A large archer in a dark suit stood over a kneeling Dr. Markov, aiming an arrow at his heart.

"Please! I did everything Mr. Merlyn required of me!" Dr. Markov begged.

"He knows, Dr. Markov", the Dark Archer said, "And he thanks you for your service."

He then fired the arrow, killing Dr. Markov.

The female scientist screamed and attracted his attention. He watched as they ran to the door and then calmly plugged a small device into the USB port on the mainframe. It activated, sending an EMP through the computers, destroying all the data on the Markov project and also tripping the alarm, causing the lab to go into lockdown.

The two scientists were banging on the door, begging to be let out. He calmly strode towards them.

Two guards arrived with their guns drawn.

"Freeze!"

The Dark Archer fired at one, killing him. He avoided gunfire from the other and fired but he ducked behind the mainframe just in time. It hit the computer behind him.

The Dark Archer shot an arrow into the mainframe and then calmly strode towards the scientists who were yelling, "Let us out! Let us out!"

The guard rose to fire again and yelled, "Get down on the floor!" The mainframe then exploded, killing him.

The scientists kneeled to the ground in front of him, cowering, as he towered over them. He drew an arrow and aimed it at the female, who screamed in terror.

* * *

A while later, a black Porsche sped out of Unidac's parking lot. Malcolm ripped off his mask and hood, satisfied by his night's work.

* * *

"So your mother is involved with Malcolm Merlyn in this?" Natasha asked Oliver in the lair as Matt, Clint, John and Felicity stood in the distance.

"Yeah", Oliver replied angrily, "They are planning to use that device to destroy the Glades."

"Twisted shit this is", Clint said, "But where would they plant this?"

"We need to know", Matt said.

"Your mother hasn't been doing anything out of the ordinary for a while", John said.

"What're you all going to do?" Felicity asked them.

"We can arrest them", Clint said.

"No!" Oliver vetoed the idea, "They might have already planted the device and they might not say a word about where it is so it's a bad idea. The other archer, Bane and that assassin are involved too so they can activate it. I have to get the answer out of her."

"You know", Clint said, "If your mother is involved in such deep shit, she won't say it."

"We'll have a friendly mother-son chat", Oliver said sarcastically and walked out.

* * *

Matt later walked up to the club and realized Laurel was there.

"Matt!" she said as she walked up to him.

"Laurel!" Matt said with a smile and the two shared a kiss.

"How's lawyering?" she asked.

"It's good", he said, "What about you?"

"It's good", she replied before saying, "You know, I think it's unfair to you, running back and forth between here and New York."

"So?" Matt asked, though Laurel's question and her heartrate told him he already knew.

"Well", said Laurel a little awkwardly, "How about we live together?"

"Oh!" he said.

"Am I scaring you?" she asked, "Is it too fast?"

"No!" Matt said, calming down, "It isn't. But I need time."

"Okay", said Laurel as she watched his retreating form.

* * *

At Queen Manor, Moira lead Walter through the house, "Everything's the same as you left it."

"How are you feeling, Walter?" Oliver asked kindly as he walked up to them with Thea.

"I'm on the mend, thank you, Oliver", Walter said to him.

"I'm so glad you're home", Thea said as she wrapped him in her arms.

"That makes two of us", Walter quipped.

"All of us", Moira said, "I've prepared brunch. All of your favorites."

"Yum, English food", Thea said as her mouth watered.

"Actually, I'm more tired from the drive than I expected", Walter sighed, "I think I'm going to lie down."

"Yes, of course", Moira said as she tried to kiss him on the lips but he turned his face and she got his cheek instead.

He gave her a strained smile and walked into the bedroom.

Thea looked at him in concern but a buzzing noise got her attention.

She looked at Roy's text-  _"Meet me tonight."_

She walked to Oliver and said about Walter, "He doesn't seem like himself."

"He's gone through a lot", Oliver told her, "It's just going to take a little bit of time."

"I'm really sick of us all having to go through a lot, you know?" Thea sighed before walking off.

In the sitting room, Moira watched the news broadcast as the anchor reported the massacre at Unidac Industries.

"Mom, we need to talk", Oliver said firmly as he arrived.

"Oh, uh, later Oliver", she said as she hurried out of the room.

Oliver looked at her in frustration but the news broadcast caught his eye.

"-coworkers, parents and families of all the victims to see how they are coping with the loss."

* * *

Later, at night time, Moira was staring out of the window when Oliver walked up behind her and said, "Hey mom!"

Moira turned around and sighed on seeing Oliver, "Walter's upstairs resting. I think he's doing well, don't you?"

"Who took him?" Oliver asked bluntly instead of being subtle like before.

"We don't know yet", she replied, "But I'm going to make sure all of Queen Consolidated's resources are behind it."

Oliver gave a tight smile and said softly, "That's the answer you gave to the reporter yesterday. Tell me the truth."

"I don't know what you mean", Moira scoffed.

"I think you do", Oliver said, "A couple of months ago, when I showed you dad's notebook, you seemed to know something. Something about our family being in danger."

"Are you suggesting I knew something about my husband's kidnapping?" she demanded, her voice a mixture of outrage and fear.

"I'm just suggesting that maybe you were scared", he said, "That maybe you didn't mean for any of this to happen. But it was harder than you thought. And now you're barely keeping your head above the water. Please, mom. Let me help you before you drown."

"You need to stop asking these things", Moira said fearfully, "Do you understand? I need you to stop"

"I can't", he said to her, "I need to know."

Suddenly, the lights flickered and then went out.

"Is that a power outage?" she asked as she looked around.

"I don't know", said Oliver as he looked around when he was suddenly hit by a dart on the neck and collapsed.

"Oliver!" Moira exclaimed as she knelt close to him, "Oliver!"

She too was hit by one and as her eyes darkened, she saw a figure with horns walking up to her.

* * *

Later, she awoke but was now tied to a chair in an abandoned warehouse. Across her was Oliver, tied in the same way.

"Mom!" he said as he 'woke up.'

"Oliver", she slurred.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

She leaned forward and asked, "Oliver? How….. how are… we got to get out of here."

"Moira Queen, you have failed this city", said Daredevil as he stepped out of the shadows.

She looked at him and gasped in terror.

"Please!" she begged, "Do not hurt my son!"

"I know about the Undertaking and your involvement", Daredevil said and she gasped, "Tell me where the device is and I won't harm your son."

Daredevil turned to Oliver who nodded subtly.

He punched Oliver and she cried out, "No! I don't know where he planted it!"

Daredevil heard her heartbeat and realized she was telling the truth.

But Oliver wanted to know something else.

"Tell me why is he doing it", he asked her, "And why did you throw in with him?"

"I can't tell you! He'll kill me! He'll kill my family!"

Daredevil punched Oliver and the chair toppled with him on it.

"Because his wife was murdered in the Glades!" she yelled frantically, "And I helped him make the device to level the Glades because he threatened my family!"

"How did your family get involved in this?" Daredevil asked.

"My husband", she said as Oliver listened, "He got involved without knowing. He just wanted to do some good. He was lost. He….. his decisions left me vulnerable to Malcolm."

Daredevil walked away from her and cut Oliver's binds with a knife before doing the same for Moira and disappearing into the shadows.

Moira hurried over to her son, "Oliver!"

"No!" Oliver gasped, pushing her away.

She looked at him sadly and tried to defend herself, "Oh sweet- I know what you must be thinking but I never intended any of this to happen. You know I would never willingly be a part of anything like this."

"I don't know anything anymore", Oliver said wearily as he limped out of the warehouse and away from his mother, hurt emotionally by her betrayal.

* * *

Later, Oliver walked over to the lair where Matt, Natasha, Clint, John and Felicity were waiting for him.

"Dig up everything we have on Unidac Industries", he said.

"Well, we know Queen Consolidated acquired them 7 months ago" Felicity said, "That's when we met."

"I need information I don't know", he said to her.

"Unidac is a small research and development technology company that specializes in seismic infringement", Natasha told him before Felicity could start typing for info, "I stay updated on everything."

"And Merlyn's planning on levelling the Glades with a man-made earthquake", commented Clint, "Really is Merlin I guess."

"What else do you know?" John asked.

"More info on the stock auction", Natasha said, "And what media's calling-"

"The Unidac massacre", Matt finished.

"This timing can't be a coincidence" John said.

"I do know there's a whole website claiming the police suspect a copycat archer", Natasha said as she pulled it up on her tablet.

"What?!" Oliver asked as some things made sense to him.

"So this archer works for Malcolm", Matt said, "Along with Bane and the assassin."

"He's tying up loose ends", Oliver said, "Erasing all evidence that this device exists so no one can trace it back to him."

"So he has 3 dragons for himself", Clint muttered, referring to a certain TV show.

"So you're going to have a pointed conversation with Merlyn?" John asked Oliver.

"Even if I take out Merlyn, the other archer is still out there with Bane and the assassin", Oliver pointed out, "They can set off the device. We need to find it. Then Merlyn can get his."

"I'll hack Merlyn Global mainframe", Felicity said.

"Good luck with that", Clint said sarcastically.

"You need to have direct access to his mainframe", Natasha said.

"Then we have to waltz", said Oliver and the two agents agreed.

* * *

Moira walked back to Queen Manor and heard Walter talking to someone.

"It is truly kind of you to come all the way out here", Walter was saying.

"Walter? Who are you speaking to-"

She stopped as Malcolm Merlyn rose from the couch with a smirk.

"Moira, how are you?" he asked pleasantly.

"Well", she said as she hid her emotions again, "Thank you."

"Actually, you look a little bit out of sorts", Walter noted.

"Oh, no, no, I'm fine", she said as she fixed her hair slightly and smiled at the two men.

"Malcolm came by to check up on his nemesis", Walter said and Moira was startled until he finished with a chuckle, "On the racquetball court."

"I didn't get a chance to talk to Walter at the hospital", Malcolm said with a smile, "Like everyone, I'm glad he's back where he belongs, with his family."

He then gave Moira a meaningful look and she said, "Yes."

"I'll let you get some rest", Malcolm told Walter.

"Thanks again", Walter said.

"Uh, I'll walk you out", Moira said as she lead Malcolm out into the hall, "Your assassin wasn't too subtle in eliminating the people at Unidac."

"Well, now the police are focused on the copycat archer instead of the Undertaking", Malcolm told her, "As for the collateral damage, I can limit our exposure."

"I see. And does paying Walter a visit now fall under the same category?" Moira asked harshly, "You held him for nearly 6 months. Surely you had him questioned."

"He was", Malcolm said calmly.

"And I assume if Walter knew something you'd rather he didn't, agreement be damned, I would be a widow again", she said bitterly, "Am I wrong?"

"Rarely", Malcolm said calmly, his face betraying no emotion as he walked away, leaving behind a horrified Moira.

* * *

Next morning, Clint walked into Merlyn Global with Natasha. He wore a well-tailored suit while he wore a long, formal, blue dress and both of them had glasses. They looked like people from the business class of society.

They walked over to the security guard and Clint said, "Hi. Carmine Polito."

"I am Natalia Alianova", Natasha said, "We have an 11:30 with Tommy Merlyn."

The security guard took their IDs to run checks and then handed it back to them. Being S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, they could make very credible fake IDs.

"Mr. Polito. Miss Alianova", said the guard, "You both can go up."

Clint and Natasha then made their way to the elevator and silently walked inside as the car came.

"Hold that!" a voice called out. Natasha tried to push the 'close' button but a young executive walked inside, carrying a bunch of folders.

Leering at Natasha, he said, "Where're you headed, sweety?"

"19th floor", Natasha said calmly.

"Too bad, I'm going to 13", he said. Annoyed, Natasha hit his folders out into the lobby, spilling the papers on the ground.

"Damn it!" he swore as he stepped out of the elevator to gather the papers while Natasha pushed the 'close' button and the doors closed, the car moving up.

"The guy really must think of himself as the next Tony Stark if he is trying to ogle you", Clint joked as Natasha smirked in reminder before joking, "In that case, he has to google me."

Then, the elevator stopped on the 19th floor and they walked out, but then Natasha pressed a button on a device she had, which sent the camera into a loop, something the security guard in the monitor room didn't notice.

The two then walked back into the elevator. The mainframe was hard to access, but not the control board. Natasha pulled out her tablet and managed to hack the control board, typing a few commands as the elevator went up to the 25th floor.

"That's as close as this can get us", Natasha told him and Clint said, "Better closer than far."

Clint opened the access hatch to the room of the car and the two climbed out as they reached down into the car. Clint then opened his briefcase and took out a crossbow pistol with a grappling unit attached.

As Natasha held on to him, Clint fired the grapple and it embedded itself into the far wall.

The two agents swung across the shaft, landing on the opposite ledge. The two deftly moved to the doors and carefully pried them open. Seeing the hallway was clear, the two walked inside.

"Didn't we have a meeting with Tommy Merlyn?" Clint asked in a mock innocent tone.

"Maybe", Natasha said with the same mock innocence as she hacked into the lobby computer which wasn't connected to the mainframe and erased their fake names completely, "But our names aren't on the schedule."

"Too bad", Clint said sarcastically and the two made their way to the server floor. They approached the door to the computer hub, which was disguised as a sliding wall. Natasha slid her pilfered security card into the card reader and entered a code she had hacked. The wall slid to the right and Natasha walked into the room while Clint stood guard outside.

Natasha sat down at the terminal and plugged her tablet in. She started working.

After some minutes, Natasha managed to download the files onto her tablet and walked out. There, she saw a guard on the floor, Clint standing over him.

"Clint?" she scolded lightly.

"He didn't see me", Clint told her, "We ain't busted, Nat."

She nodded at him and the two walked back into the elevator as it went down. The two came out and Natasha ended the loop. The two then walked out of Merlyn Global, satisfied at having completed the mission.

* * *

In Queen Manor, Moira was walking upstairs when she saw Walter walking downstairs, some papers in his hands.

"Oh good", she said pleasantly, I was just coming up to see if you'd like some tea or-"

He handed her the set of papers.

"What is this?" she asked as she noticed he was wearing his coat.

She opened the papers and paled, "Walter, please", she said in a shaky voice, "Divorce is an extreme reaction."

"Well, considering the circumstances, I find it somewhat reserved", Walter said dryly as he walked down the stairs, "Or do you think that I believe that my abduction on the night you told me I was getting too close to your conspiracy was just a coincidence."

"You… you were in danger", Moira said emotionally, "This arrangement, it saved your life."

"Well, that's ironic", Walter scoffed, "Because it feels like you've destroyed it."

"Walter-"

"You know, I read about people in forced captivity", Walter said as he walked down, "Some of them said it was a simple thought that got them through the isolation and fear", he chuckled, "Returning to their loved ones. So I don't know really Moira why I'm still alive, because I didn't have that."

Moira held up her hands now and started crying, "Walter, please-"

"What do you think you can say to convince me that everything I knew, my whole life hasn't just evaporated?" Walter asked harshly as he walked to the door just as Thea walked in.

"Where're you going?" Thea asked Walters shakily, noticing his coat and his expression and also her mom's.

"Come here", he whispered and pulled her into a hug, then pulled back and looked at her with a reassuring smile. Moira may be a lying conspirator, but Thea was still his little girl and he loved her like his own. Walter felt a little guilty that she would have to suffer the loss of another father because of her mother. But his anger at Moira outweighed his guilt for leaving Thea and he walked out past her, not looking at Moira again.

Thea looked baffled as Moira looked the other way and wept silently.

* * *

Later, in the lair, Felicity went through the data while Oliver said to the 2 agents, "Great work, guys."

"Thanks", Clint said before saying with a mischievous smirk, "So I heard you gave Robin Hood a run for his money?"

"The corrupt destroy this city", Oliver said.

"Oh no", said Clint, "Not that. Your green suit is better than his and your aim is also probably better."

"Oh!" said Oliver with a little arrogance in his archery skills, "I guess I am probably the best."

"No you are not!" Clint said, sounding offended, "You gave Robin Hood a run for his money. I gave Legolas a run for his money."

"You don't have any proof of that", Oliver said with a smirk, "And your bow is S.H.I.E.L.D. made. How do I know it does not do the work?"

"The technology used to make it doesn't matter if your arm can't do shit", Clint said, "And I can fire perfectly with a standard bow too."

"Let's see about that", Oliver smirked.

"All right. That's enough kids", Natasha said as she rolled her eyes at the antics of the two archers, "I also managed to plant a Trojan onto Merlyn's system."

"That's smart", Dig commented, "If Merlyn thinks he's been compromised, it'd help if we know first."

"Can you locate the seismic device?" Oliver asked Felicity.

"I am working on it", she said, "But there is at least a teraflop of data to go through."

Dig noticed Matt was silent and asked, "You all right?"

"Yeah", Matt said as Dig gave him a look.

"Laurel wants me to move in", he said, "But I don't know if I can totally abandon New York. It is my home."

"I know", said John, "But in the end, you must decide something that is good for the both of you if you love her."

Matt nodded as he contemplated John's words.

* * *

Later, Matt knocked on the door and it was opened by Laurel.

"Hi", he said to her, "Can we talk?"

She stepped aside and let him in, "Thank you."

Laurel closed the door and looked at him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked.

"Well", he chuckled, "I thought this was going to be easier to say but-"

"Please just say what you have to", she said to him.

"Ever since we've restarted our relationship, I've been doing this dance", Matt said, "I come here and we come together. But then New York pulls me back. Maybe it won't now."

"What are you trying to say?" she asked hopefully.

"That you're more important to me than anyone", Matt finally said before saying the magic words, "I love you. And I would do anything to make this go somewhere. I just hope I didn't wait too long to say it."

She crashed into him and they kissed wildly as he threw off his coat and she unbuttoned his shirt, then hopped onto him, her legs wrapping around his waist. In her excitement, she didn't notice his scars.

"You didn't", she said breathlessly between kisses before saying the magic words herself, "I love you too."

The two ended up in the bedroom where he took off her shirt too. As they caressed each other's bare abdomens, Laurel felt the scars and looked down at them, gasping in shock.

"How did you get these?" she asked him.

"Just an accident where I scraped my abdomen and chest too much", Matt lied and the two resumed kissing as the moment had still not been lost.

* * *

Later, Matt lay on the bed as Laurel slept next to him. He had a slight smile as he liked being with her again. Both were naked, having passionately made love.

His phone buzzed. Matt kissed Laurel on the forehead and gently moved her off of his shoulder, then sat up and grabbed his phone, "What is it?"

"Felicity found the Markov device", Oliver told him, "Merlyn's keeping it at a warehouse his company owns in the Glades."

"So coordinated attack?" Matt asked.

"Yeah", Oliver said, "I'll take Merlyn. You take the device."

"I'm going", Matt said as he hung up. He turned to Laurel once again, hearing her peaceful breathing and steady heartbeat one last time, before walking out.

* * *

Daredevil approached the warehouse. He slid the door and walked inside. He tried to hear he humming but couldn't. He walked around and realized the crate was there but the sound wasn't emanating from it. He wondered if it had been coated with something that blocked his senses.

With that in his mind, he opened the lid of the crate.

* * *

At Merlyn Global, Malcolm stood behind his desk, talking to someone on the phone.

"Very well. I'll be in touch. Can I help you?" he asked as he turned around to face The Hood before saying to the man on the other side of the phone, "No, I wasn't talking to you."

He then hung up and looked at his enemy.

"Malcolm Merlyn", The Hood growled, "You have failed this city."

"And how have I done that?" he asked calmly.

"The Undertaking", The Hood said, "It ends now."

"Oliver, the device", said Matt to him via comms, "It's gone."

The Hood notched an arrow and aimed it at the businessman, "Where's the device?"

"Safe", Malcolm said smugly as he held up his hands while making his way around the desk, "I don't know how you got that Trojan onto my system, whoever did that was really good. And the person would have succeeded if I was not so paranoid that I checked my system every day. It prompted me to take precautions."

"There is nothing you can do to stop what is about to happen", Malcolm said, "And you shouldn't. This city needs what is about to happen in order to survive. The people who are destroying it from the inside need to be erased from the map."

"Fine", The Hood growled, "Let's start with you."

He fired the arrow-

And Malcolm caught it just before it could hit his heart.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Malcolm asked as Oliver stood there in stunned shock, "Last Christmas, I would have killed you if not for Daredevil. Few months ago, you saved my life", he twirled the arrow in his hand, "And now you're here, trying to kill me", he stared coldly at The Hood, "You should make up your mind."

"Done."

The Hood was about to draw another arrow but Malcolm threw the arrow he had caught back on him, forcing him to dodge as the arrow shattered a glass case behind him.

As he recovered, Malcolm leapt at him and gave him a frontal flying kick, knocking him back on a table. He recovered and attacked with a spin motion but Malcolm blocked with his elbow. The two tried to punch each other for a while but neither succeeded in hitting the other as they both deflected each other's blows.

The Hood spun again, smacking Malcolm on the face with the bow, stunning him before kicking him on the thigh, sending him down to one knee momentarily.

Malcolm ducked to avoid another smack of the bow which instead decapitated a terracotta statue. Malcolm kicked high but The Hood ducked and it dented the steel wall instead.

Malcolm blocked another strike from The Hood with his elbow before smacking him on the face twice, grabbing him and then slamming him on to the table. He then kneed him twice in the chest. Malcolm then spun behind him and grabbed him by the waist, then turning them around German suplexed him onto the table which collapsed.

The two rolled off as The Hood pushed him away. With an enraged roar, Malcolm tried to punch. The Hood held his bow to block but Malcolm's strong punch broke it into two.

The Hood grabbed him by the waist and slammed him into the steel wall behind. Malcolm managed to throw off Oliver and kicked him hard on the chest thrice. As The Hood tried to get up, Malcolm gave him a hard punch on the lower jaw and he was out.

Malcolm knelt near his unconscious enemy and ripped off the hood- to see Oliver's bloodied face.

He gasped in surprise and breathlessness, whispering, "Oh no."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the Season 1 finale. One small change here was that Clint and Natasha sneaked into Merlyn Global.
> 
> Next chapter will have more changes because while Oliver, Dig and Felicity also have Matt, Natasha and Clint on their side, Malcolm has Bane and Blue Talon.
> 
> Blue Talon might have appeared only in one comic but he was a badass as he held his own against a held back Black Panther while Bane is… well, Bane.
> 
> I personally think Legolas is the best fictional archer.
> 
> Hope you liked this.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	19. It Ends Tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes give their all to try and stop the Undertaking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil, Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.

" _You can survive, make it home", Robert said to Oliver as he gasped for breath while the two and a crew member sat on a life raft in the middle of the sea with no land in sight, "Make it better."_

_Suddenly Robert brandished a gun and shot the crew member whose body tumbled into the river._

" _Dad!" Oliver gasped in shock and stared at him incredulously._

_Robert then put the gun to his temple and requested Oliver, "Survive."_

" _NO!"_

_BANG._

* * *

A blast of cold water woke up Oliver. One of Malcolm's men, who had thrown the water on him, walked away. Oliver looked around. He was in some kind of storage facility, his comms were gone, he had been stripped from the waist up and his arms were chained above his head, his feet barely touching the ground. He heard footsteps and looked up to see Malcolm Merlyn walk in.

"I hope I didn't hurt you", Malcolm said honestly, "At least I can thank you now properly for saving my life."

Circling around Oliver, he chuckled and said, "If only I knew how you were spending your nights. My hope is that I can explain everything to you, to help you understand."

"You murdered my father!" Oliver roared in a rage, "You sentenced me to that island, to five years of Hell."

"I am truly sorry for what happened to you", Malcolm said calmly with honesty in his voice, "You know I have lost people."

"Yeah, your wife", Oliver said to him before asking, "Do you really think that you're honoring Tommy's mother by destroying the Glades?"

"As surely as you believe that you're honoring your father with this hood", Malcolm replied sincerely as he held up the green hood.

"Not a day goes by I don't miss your father", Malcolm continued.

"You'll see him soon", Oliver promised darkly with a growl.

Malcolm's face turned cold and walking up to Oliver, he said bluntly, "You can't beat me, Oliver. Yes, you're younger. You're faster. But you always seem to come up short against me. Want to know why? Because you don't know in your heart, what you're fighting for, what you're willing to sacrifice; and I do."

Malcolm started walking away and declared, "No one can stop what is about to happen. Not even Daredevil or the Vigilante."

Malcolm threw the hood on the ground and walked out as the guards closed the door behind him.

After about 15 minutes, Oliver looked around and saw no guards. He lifted his legs off the floor and pulled them upwards, wrapping them around the chains and then started climbing.

When he was satisfied that he was at a sufficient height from the floor, Oliver stopped and let go. The chains snapped as all of the weight was now too much for the pipe they were hung over. The pipe fell down along with the chains and Oliver, who grunted in pain but managed to get up.

A guard arrived, gun drawn. Oliver threw the chains at him, causing him to drop the gun and fall down the stairs. Oliver went up to him and snapped his neck. Oliver then walked up to the doorway that was sliding open and hid on a side. As a guard walked in, Oliver wrapped his arms in chains and elbowed him, making him spin around. Oliver then wrapped his neck with the chains and with some effort, broke it.

Oliver knelt down to search the man for the keys to his chains but looked up in surprise as a third guard walked in, gun drawn. He was then hit from behind by a Billy Club and fell down, unconscious.

Daredevil stood there and said to Oliver, "Let's go."

Oliver nodded.

* * *

Matt and Oliver walked into the lair.

"Felicity's at Queen Consolidated", John told them, "She's still going through the data Natasha and Clint pulled off Merlyn's network."

"Did she find anything?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, the device schematics of the earthquake generator so we can shut it down", Natasha replied.

"Assuming we find it in time", Clint added grimly.

John's cell phone rang and he answered, "Yeah, Felicity, Matt got him."

"Thank God", Felicity said as she walked out of the Queen Consolidated building, "Is he okay?"

"Mostly", Dig replied.

"Okay, I'm on my way", Felicity said and hung up.

"I have a feeling Merlyn will try his best to stop us from getting the device", Matt said to everyone.

"He has Bane and that assassin so I think we all might end up being tied down in duels", Oliver told them.

"So what are we gonna do?" Dig asked.

Oliver picked up his phone and rang someone.

As the one on the other end picked up, Oliver said, "Hello Detective."

"Long time no chats", Quentin said sarcastically to him from the other side, "Why the hell are you calling me?"

Oliver immediately got down to business, "Malcolm Merlyn plans to level the Glades with a man-made earthquake using technology from Unidac Industries."

"What?" Lance asked as he rose from the chair and even chuckled, "Now you're just trying to have some fun with me."

"I don't know what Merlyn's timetable is, so you need to evacuate the Glades immediately", Oliver pressed, "Get as many people to safety as you can. Whatever you think of me, Detective, please- believe this."

Oliver then hung up while Lance contemplated on the other end.

* * *

Matt later walked to Laurel's home but before he could knock, the door opened and Tommy walked out.

"Matt?" he asked, "What're you doing here?"

"Just came to see Laurel", Matt said, "What about you?"

"Just hanging out", Tommy said and prepared to leave. Matt then contemplated whether he should tell Tommy or not. In the end, he decided Tommy deserved to know the truth.

"Something's happening, Tommy", Matt told him, "And it involves your father."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tommy asked as he turned to him, a confused look on his face.

"Not just your father, but Oliver's father too", Matt revealed, "They made a plan to destroy the Glades!"

Tommy gaped at him and asked, "Do you have any idea what you sound like right now?"

"Your father's going to do it", Matt pressed, "Because he thinks it will avenge your mother's death!"

Tommy was angry at the way Matt was talking about his parents and with balled fists, asked, "How do you know all this? Tell me!"

Matt slowly walked up to him until their faces were inches apart and whispered to him, "Because I'm Daredevil."

Tommy's jaw dropped as he stumbled back in shock, putting his hand on the wall to steady himself.

"H-how?" he asked, "You're blind!"

"Not important, Tommy", Matt told him, "You need to confront the truth about your father."

Tommy then connected the dots and realized that if Matt was Daredevil, he would know too.

"So you knew about Oliver all this time?" Tommy asked in a shaky voice.

"Yes, I did", he said.

"Does Laurel know?" he asked.

"No."

"When she finds out, it will break her heart that you lied to her", Tommy said before walking away.

Matt then walked in and Laurel was there. She had not heard anything.

"Hi", he said.

"Hey", she replied, "I woke up and you were gone."

"I'm really sorry about that", Matt said as he walked up to her.

"I hope you're not scared or anything", Laurel said with some fear in her voice.

"No", Matt shook his head, "That's not it."

"Then please tell me what is going on with you?" she begged.

"I had some business to take care of", Matt told her, "And when it is, I will do anything to make this work."

The two shared a passionate kiss and as they pulled away, Matt told her gently, "Laurel, I need you to do something for me. Stay out of the Glades tonight."

"Why?" she asked.

"You'll know soon", Matt promised, "One way or the other, I have to go."

Matt then walked out of her apartment.

* * *

At SCPD, Lance was trying to tell Pike about what The Hood had told him.

"Make it quick, I got a comm stat meeting in five", Pike said irritably, "I don't want to be late for my own funeral."

"I've got it under good authority that Malcolm Merlyn is planning to level the Glades with an earthquake device made by Unidac Industries", Lance said as they entered the squad room and Pike froze, turning to look at him.

"Who's your source in all this?" Pike demanded.

Lance sighed and realized he had to tell the truth, "The Vigilante."

All chatter stopped as every cop turned to observe the two, McKenna included.

"He called me, has been for the past few months, has been helpful on some cases", Lance admitted.

Pike stared at him in surprise and anger and moving closer, pointed out, "You asked for the task force to catch him. You swore to me you'd bring him in."

"I know", Lance said, "I swore to uphold the law, because the law is steady, the law is unchanging, the law needs to be protected. But what are laws, rules, if they don't protect the people?" he asked passionately, "Now listen, I'm throwing away my career by telling you this, but I'm willing to sacrifice catching this guy if it means saving people's lives! Please."

Pike stared at him for several seconds before saying finally, "You're suspended", Lance closed his eyes in resignation, "Leave your gun and badge with the duty sergeant."

"Lieutenant-"

"Suspension or incarceration", Pike harshly pointed out the two options, "You choose."

Pike left as Lance stood, defeated in the middle of all the other cops. Hall looked between Pike's retreating figure and Lance's expression, a conflicted expression on her own face.

* * *

At Queen Manor, Moira was in the bedroom, putting Walter's clothes in a mover's box for him to pick up when Oliver walked in.

"No more lies, mom", he said softly as she looked at him, "The Undertaking. We need to stop it."

"Everything I have ever said or done is to protect you and your sister", she told him as she continued her work.

"What about all those people in the Glades?" Oliver asked.

"I'm not their mother", Moira said, sounding heartless.

"I spoke to Malcolm", Oliver said bluntly.

"You what?" she asked, horrified, "He could have killed you. He killed your father."

"No, he didn't", Oliver shook his head, took a deep breath, and continued, "After the Gambit went down, dad and I both made it to the life raft. And then we drifted, for days. In the end, there wasn't enough food and water for both of us", he sighed, "So he shot himself in the head."

Moira gasped and looked away, horrified, "I don't want to hear this."

"He sacrificed himself", Oliver continued, "So that I could live. Do you really think that I could go on living knowing that you sacrificed thousands more in my name?"

She cried as he asked that question. He moved to her gently and took her in his arms, "Mom, please. You have to help me stop Malcolm. We need to know where the device is."

Moira's cell phone rang. She pulled away and answered, "Malcolm", she controlled her voice as Oliver stared at her, "How can I help you?"

She listened to what he said for some time and said shakily, "I see. Thank you for calling."

As she hung up, Oliver asked, "What is it?"

"Malcolm's accelerated his timetable. The Undertaking is", she swallowed, "Is happening tonight."

Oliver moved past her to the door and she asked tearfully, "Where're you going?"

Oliver stopped and turning around to face her, said, "Somebody in this family needs to put an end to this. Whatever the cost."

He walked out and headed to the stairs as Moira contemplated his words.

* * *

At Merlyn Global, Tommy walked into his father's office, who looked out of the window into the city.

"Hey, dad", he said as he threw off his jacket.

"Son", Malcolm acknowledged him.

Tommy picked up his father's best scotch and poured himself a lot of it.

"Matt said you wanted to nuke the Glades or something", Tommy snorted, "You know, it's funny. Scotch doesn't make it any more believable. Maybe after your jihad, we can grab some steaks."

"It's true, Tommy", Malcolm said as he turned to face his son who looked at him in confusion, "It's the reason I closed your mother's clinic. I didn't want to see it leveled."

Tommy stared back at him in confusion which soon turned to disbelief, "What?" he asked unsteadily.

"I have something I'd like you to listen to", Malcolm said as he walked past Tommy and patted his shoulder before heading to the desk.

There was a small decorative vase there. He pulled off the top and flipped it over, revealing a small cell phone attached to the top.

"The night you mother died, she called me. I awoke to a voicemail from her", he told his son.

"Dad-"

"Her final gift to me", Malcolm said as he pressed play.

"Malcolm, I'm in trouble", wept Rebecca's dying voice in the message, "I told… I told him to take everything. My money….. my ring."

Tommy listened, horrified, the dying words of his mother sobering him up as he pleaded his father shakily, "Turn it off."

"He shot me", Rebecca continued, "I screamed for help, but no one would come."

"No one would come", Malcolm said at the same time as Rebecca in the voice message, having memorized it completely after listening to it over and over again through the years.

"Oh God!" Rebecca wept, "I don't want to die, Malcolm! I don't want to die!"

Tommy was breathing heavily, close to tears.

"She bled out into the pavement, while people passed, did nothing", Malcolm said as Rebecca continued crying while Tommy closed his eyes temporarily in sadness and to stop the tears, "Your mother built her clinic in the Glades because she wanted to save this city. It can't be saved", he declared, "Because the people there don't want it to be saved."

Appalled at why his father was doing what he was doing, Tommy asked, "So you kill them all-"

"YES!"

Tommy jumped in fright and shock.

"THEY DESERVE TO DIE, ALL OF THEM!" Malcolm yelled at the top of his lungs, every single fiber of his being burning with hatred as intense as the fires of Hell, "THE WAY SHE DIED!"

Hearing his father's delusional declaration and looking at his delusional expression, Tommy involuntarily took a step back, realizing the man in front of him wasn't his father. His father had died years ago, the same night his mother had died. The person facing him was a crazy psychopath hell bent on revenge.

* * *

At the lair, Oliver walked in to find Matt, Natasha, Clint, Diggle and Felicity already there.

"The Undertaking is happening tonight", Oliver told them.

"Oliver, I think we have found something", Dig said to him.

Felicity held up the notebook and said, "This symbol is a map of the old subway tunnel system."

"That's what made us realize the Undertaking is a plan to destroy the Glades", Matt stated.

"I think it's more specific than that", Natasha said.

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked.

"If I had a machine that could trigger an earthquake in a geologically stable area, where would I position it?" Clint asked.

Oliver had a realization, "Underground."

"Yeah", Natasha said as Felicity pulled up a geographical map on the screen, "This is a U.S. geological survey of tectonic plates running underneath Starling City", she pointed to the screen as she explained, "This red line here is a known fault that runs right below the Glades. About a mile, the fault runs underneath the old Tenth Street subway line. Dollars to donuts, the seismic device is somewhere along here."

"I know where it is", Oliver said but before he could explain, his phone rang.

He answered it and said crossly, "Now is not a good time."

"Yeah, understate much?" Thea replied as she walked through the foyer towards the sitting room, "Mom has a whole bunch of reporters here. She's holding a press conference or something."

"What channel?" Oliver demanded.

Thea looked at the packed room and said, "Ah, it looks like all of them."

Oliver turned back and said, "Felicity, pull up the local news please."

He moved to her as she pulled up the local news just as Moira started speaking.

* * *

"My name is Moira Dearden Queen, I am the acting CEO of Queen Consolidated. And God forgive me, I have failed this city", Moira said as Thea watched while police officers entered the room and watched from the back, "For the past 5 years, under the threat of my life and the lives of my family, I have been complicit in an undertaking with one horrible purpose- to destroy the Glades and everyone in it", Thea's eyes widened in shock while the reporters whispered amongst themselves.

Moira looked to the side and saw Detective Hilton, ready to take her in, "I realize now my family's safety will mean nothing if I let this dreadful act occur."

* * *

At Merlyn Global, Malcolm and Tommy watched the broadcast on the former's laptop, "But you need to know that the architect of this nightmare is Malcolm Merlyn."

"NOOOOOOOO!" he screamed in rage, slamming the lid of the laptop and smashing the desk, shattering its glass.

* * *

"Yes, and I have proof that he has killed dozens in pursuit of this madness", Moira continued as the press whispered amongst themselves, "Adam Hunt. Frank Chen. And my husband- Robert", Thea was shocked beyond measure and almost shook her head in disbelief.

* * *

"Please, if you reside in the Glades, you need to get out now", Moira said as Laurel, Joanna, Anastasia and everyone else watched the broadcast at CNRI.

* * *

"Your life and the lives of your children depend on it", she continued as Lance stood next to Pike while the entire SCPD including McKenna watched in stunned shock.

* * *

"Please", said Moira as she stepped down and walked to a stunned Thea, ignoring the questions of the press.

"I don't understand", Thea said, still in shock.

"I'm sorry", Moira said, "I love you."

"I love Roy", Thea said suddenly, terrified.

"Roy?"

"He lives in the Glades", Thea said with tears in her eyes, "I can't leave him there."

She spun around and ran out of the room as Moira called out, "Sweetheart! Thea!"

She made to run after her daughter but a patrol officer restrained her as Hilton began reading her rights, "Moira Queen, you're under arrest for conspiracy. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney."

* * *

As Matt, Oliver, Natasha, Clint, Dig and Felicity stood in front of the TV, the news host suddenly said, "Our helicopters are getting this! It's happening in the Glades!"

The scene on the news changed and they watched the Glades from above.

Bane was there. He roared and ran around, lifting and throwing cars into houses, shattering them. The people screamed in terror and ran. He ran into houses at his super-speed, shattering them.

"That sick son of a bitch!" Clint said angrily.

"Why the hell did he send Bane there?" Felicity said in confusion.

"In case the device fails", Oliver said in realization.

"Bane will do the damage", Matt said.

"We have to stop him too now", Natasha said.

"This got so much worse!" John muttered in anger and frustration.

* * *

At Merlyn Global, Tommy looked at his father in stunned disbelief, "Is it true? Did you kill all those people?"

"I did what I had to do", Malcolm said coldly as he glared at his son. He moved to the wall, looking back to see if Tommy was watching. He slid the painting to the side, revealing the fingerprint scanner. He placed his thumb on it and it activated. It then beeped and the light turned green. Malcolm slid the painting back and a second later, the wall slid to the side, revealing the Dark Archer suit to a stunned Tommy, who again shook his head in disbelief as he looked between it and his father, jaw gaping open.

"Freeze!" Tommy looked over to see 3 S.W.A.T. officers arrive, weapons aimed at his father as he backed off, "Malcolm Merlyn, you are under arrest."

Malcolm jumped into his armory as the leader yelled, "Don't move!" and fired but missed him.

They moved cautiously to the doorway-

When Malcolm came out with a broadsword.

"Dad, no!" Tommy screamed in shock as Malcolm sliced the first man's throat and impaled the other. As Malcolm batted away the third's gun and sliced his abdomen, Tommy knelt down and ripped out a gun from a dead cop's pocket.

"Please, dad. Stay back", he said as he shakily pointed the gun at his father's chest, "I don't want to hurt you."

"You can't", Malcolm declared, "And you can't stop me."

In a swift movement, Malcolm swatted the gun away and hit Tommy's forehead with the back of the hilt of his sword, knocking him out.

* * *

"Oliver, I'm sorry", Felicity said to Oliver in the lair as he stood in front of a crate.

"Don't be", Oliver said, "She gave those people a chance."

He opened the lid as Dig said, "I thought Merlyn broke your bow."

Oliver reached down and picked up his- Yao Fei's bow. He spun it and it still felt comfortable in his hands, "I have another."

"Cool standard bow", Clint said as he eyed it, impressed.

"Felicity and I were going over the device schematics", Natasha said, "The device can be set for a timed detonation or can be remote activated by a mobile transmitter."

"Something Merlyn could have on him", Matt noted.

"Oliver, if we can just get our hands on this transmitter, maybe we don't need to track down the device", John said.

"It's too big of an 'if' Diggle", Oliver said, "Find the device in the subway. Disarm it."

"So you can take Merlyn by yourself?" Dig asked.

"I have to", Oliver said.

"He'll kill you", Matt said bluntly.

"I know", Oliver said, "He would have beaten me the first time if not for you, Matt. He beat me last time. I don't know how to stop him."

"Okay", Dig said, "Maybe this time, you bring along something you didn't have the last time you fought him- Me."

Oliver shook his head, "I can't let you."

"I can't let you do this by yourself, man", John stated, "Oliver, you're not alone, not since you brought me into this", he looked at Felicity, "Us into this."

Oliver looked at the room around him and they all nodded as Dig said, "Besides, army regulations- a soldier never lets a brother go into battle alone."

Diggle held out his hand and after a moment, Oliver shook it firmly.

"I'm out of bows", Oliver said.

Dig smirked, "I got my gun."

"I guess it's up to me to do the dismantling", Felicity said.

"This whole area is ground zero", Oliver told her, "I want you out of here."

"If you all are not leaving, I'm not leaving", she told him sternly, "Besides, if I don't deactivate the device, who will?"

After some thinking, Oliver walked over to the table and picked his phone.

He called Lance who picked up and said, "You were right."

"I need one more thing from you", Oliver said.

"Yeah? What do I got left to give?" Lance asked.

"I know where Merlyn's keeping the device", Oliver said, "It's in an abandoned subway near Pabst Street."

"How do you know?" Lance asked, stunned.

"That's where his wife was murdered", Oliver explained, "I need someone I can trust to deactivate the device", he looked at Felicity who smiled and nodded, "A friend of mine can talk you through it."

Lance considered that and said, "My daughter says you care about the people of this city. That it needs you."

"Right now, Detective, it needs you", Oliver said as Lance hung up and exhaled sharply.

Hall walked up next to him.

"What happened, Detective?" she asked.

"I know where the earthquake device is", he said, "I am going to dismantle it."

"I'm coming with you", Hall declared firmly.

"What? No!" he protested.

"I am a cop and I care for this city", Hall said, "And I would give anything to save it."

Lance considered her.

* * *

In the lair, Matt said, "Bane is out in the Glades, causing destruction. I think that assassin would be in the subway, guarding the device."

"So you will go with Lance?" Oliver asked.

"The man was skilled", Matt said, "I think I will need help in beating him."

"You got it", Natasha said and he nodded in appreciation.

"I guess that leaves me with Bane", said Clint with a gleam in his eye, "I'll put an arrow through his eye socket."

* * *

It was chaos in the Glades. The looting had started. People were running around in panic. The destruction caused by Bane made them afraid but the thought of the device being activated drove them into complete terror.

Roy watched his news in disbelief.

"The superhuman mercenary known as Bane is tearing apart the Glades. Earlier today, Moira Queen, CEO of Queen Consolidated, admitted to a conspiracy to destroy the Glades. Everyone within a five mile radius is asked to evacuate as the police will deal with Bane", Roy heard horns and opened his door to look at the chaos, "Please leave the area immediately. Evacuation centers have been set up in Starling City."

Roy ran out of his house, wondering what to do. Suddenly, a car thrown by Bane landed on some running people, crushing them. That sight forced him into action as he headed to the heart of the Glades, deciding to do what he could to help.

* * *

Daredevil crouched on a rooftop, listening to the chaos.

He heard Lance's heartbeat, which was erratic due to what was going on. Hall was with him too. He was driving a car. He leapt off the rooftop to help him as Natasha grappled down with him.

As he ran to help, he realized Natasha had stopped.

"Why did you stop?" he asked her.

"I need to do something", she said, "Don't worry. I'll join you soon."

He nodded and continued running while Natasha took out her cell phone and made a call she had never thought she would.

* * *

It had started raining heavily now.

Lance pulled out his flashlight and shone it over the boarded entrance of the subway.

"Detectives!" the two spun around to see Daredevil approaching, "I am here to help!"

Daredevil kicked the boards hard and they shattered, allowing him and the two cops to head in.

* * *

Oliver, wearing his suit arrived at Merlyn Global with John.

As they cautiously entered his office, they spotted the 3 dead cops.

"Looks like we missed him", John said.

* * *

Matt, Lance and Hall kept running to where the device was. Matt could hear the humming with his senses and directed them towards it.

Suddenly, Yamura leapt at him and kicked him away. The two cops stopped dead in their tracks as he looked at them.

As he moved to them, Matt flipped and landed between them.

"Go!" he said to them both, "I'll handle him!"

Lance and Hall ran deeper into the subway.

Matt and Yamura then faced each other. They stood still for a moment.

Suddenly, Yamura attacked with a punch which Matt blocked with both hands. He attacked again and Matt again blocked before Yamura elbowed him, pushing him away.

Matt recovered and the two moved towards each other. Matt once again blocked a punch with both hands but Yamura kicked him hard on the abdomen and he staggered back.

As he recovered, Yamura beckoned him in challenge.

Matt walked further and again blocked a punch with both hands before jumping back to avoid the other.

Matt tried to kick his foot but he lifted it to avoid. Yamura tried to kick high but Matt ducked. He leapt and kicked Matt away. He then kicked Matt in the abdomen and chest and then ducked to avoid a high spin kick from Matt before tripping him by grabbing his leg.

He then ran at Matt and tried to smash him with his foot but he rolled away at the right time and got up. Yamura tried to kick him but he grabbed the leg with both hands. He freed the leg and the two traded punches before Matt blocked a punch and in a spin motion, elbowed Yamura. He tried to punch again but Yamura blocked and tried to hit him with a chop which he avoided by ducking.

He grabbed Yamura's hand with both of his to block the chop but Yamura managed to spin him around. Matt tried to elbow him but he blocked. Matt tried to punch him twice but he blocked before Matt jumped in the air and gave him a strong backwards flying kick, making him stagger back.

As Yamura recovered, Matt charged at him with a punch. Yamura blocked and punched him on the face, making him stagger back. Matt then ducked to avoid a chop from him before blocking another strike and jumping back to avoid another.

He blocked a kick with his hands. Yamura then grabbed him by the throat with both hands and flipped him to the ground.

He rushed Matt who punched his knee, making him fall down too. As Matt got up, Yamura kicked him on the face, making him fly back by a few feet.

As he got up, Yamura charged at him again and he blocked two punches from him.

Yamura tried to hit him on the head with a flip but Matt stopped his legs with his hands and kicked him in the abdomen, making him fall down.

Matt hen grabbed him by the back if the collar and lifted him up. Yamura tried to elbow but he ducked and flipped to his other side. Before Yamura could attack, Matt kicked him on the knee, then the abdomen, then the chest and then finally on the face, making him numb temporarily. Matt then jumped into the air and gave him a strong flip kick, sending him flying off by a few feet.

Matt leapt at him but he rolled away. He then tried to kick Matt who jumped back to avoid but he swept his feet from under him. Before Matt could get up, Yamura kicked him on the knee and then on the shoulder followed by the chest. He then stamped Matt's chest thrice with his foot, weakening him. Then, he knelt down and wrapped his hands around Matt's throat, slowly choking him.

* * *

Oliver looked around when he heard coughing.

He looked to the windows and saw Tommy lying there, groaning.

"Tommy!" Oliver said as he pulled down his hood and knelt beside his friend, helping him up, "Tommy. Tommy."

As Tommy's eyes cleared, he realized who he was looking at. He had a gash under his eye but was unhurt.

"Oliver", he said, recognizing his friend.

"Where's your father?" Oliver asked.

"Oh!" Tommy blinked to regain his senses, "I don't know."

He looked up at Oliver and admitted, "I am sorry. Matt was right. He was right."

"Oliver", Dig called out and Oliver looked at him. He had found a crack in the wall.

"Are you going to kill him?" Tommy asked.

Oliver stared at him for a few moments and said, "Get to safety."

Oliver then rose and walked towards Dig as Tommy got up and looked at the two.

He thought he might not see his friend again and called out, "Oliver!"

As Oliver looked at him, he said, "I am sorry!" and ran out.

"Looks like a false wall", John said, gun at the ready.

Oliver nodded and slid the wall open. They walked inside and saw Malcolm standing with a smirk, wearing his Dark Archer suit, minus the hood.

"Welcome gentlemen", he said calmly, "I've been waiting for you. I wanted to see you watch your city to die."

"Where's the transmitter?" Oliver demanded.

"Somewhere I can easily get to it", Malcolm smirked.

"I doubt it", John said, "You'd be too dead."

Oliver drew and fired as John also started firing his gun but Malcolm ducked to the side of the room. John ran after him as he continued firing. Malcolm ducked behind a pillar. The two moved to him but Malcolm fired an arrow at Oliver, who ducked in time.

John round the corner but Malcolm emerged and grabbing his hand, hit it with the elbow, disarming him and then kicking him away. He threw the gun at Oliver who ducked to avoid it. Oliver and John attacked him together.

Oliver smacked him with the bow which he blocked and jumped back to avoid John's kick. He then smashed Oliver on the table before spinning around and smacking John's face with the bow, making him stagger back.

Malcolm tried to hit Oliver with his bow but he blocked with his own and punched Malcolm away. Malcolm moved behind a rack of swords and threw a pair of throwing knives at Diggle. One hit him on the thigh, the other on the shoulder.

John fell on the ground as Oliver ran over to him while Malcolm ran out through a back entrance.

"Aah!" John cried out as he pulled the knife on his shoulder while Oliver knelt on his side but he gestured to where Malcolm had run off to, "Stairs. Go, go."

Oliver ran up the stairs and opened the access door to the roof, ducking to avoid an arrow the hooded Merlyn shot at him. He stepped out calmly on the roof. The two archers now faced each other.

"So tell me", Malcolm said, "Are you ready to die?"

* * *

Bane threw a police van at several others, smashing them all.

The cops fired but to no avail.

Two thugs angrily attacked him with chains that had hooks at the end. Bane picked them up and crushed them with his are hands. He then picked up the hooked chains and joined them together with the hook, forming one huge chains.

Twirling it around, he brought it down on a police van, smashing it completely. He then swung it again and the hook sliced some cops' throats.

Clint walked up to a nearby rooftop of a small house. Looking at Bane, he commented, "They have a Cave Troll."

Clint admired Legolas a lot and would have envied him if he was real. And now, he was going to repeat the feats of Legolas against the Cave Troll.

"Hey!" he called out and Bane looked at him.

He fired a standard arrow which embedded itself on Bane's shoulder but didn't affect him.

"So we got to play hard", Clint muttered. Bane rotated the chain and swung it at Clint who ducked. He then brought it down on him but Clint side-stepped and it destroyed a section of the roof. Bane picked it up and brought it down again but Clint dodged again. This time, because of the hook, the chain was stuck on the roof.

Clint walked along the chain and leapt on the back of Bane's head. As Bane tried to shake him off, he fired an arrow above his neck and leapt down.

Before Bane could react, Clint pressed a button on his bow and the arrow exploded. Bane staggered violently but did not die.

"What the hell are you?" Clint muttered angrily.

He fired another arrow but Bane caught it. Clint pressed a button and it discharged a deadly poisonous gas on him, making him cough out loud and stagger around. The gas covered him totally.

Clint thought it had done the work but when the smoke cleared, Bane stood there. He was horrified now.

"Okay", he said to himself, "Calm down. Calm down."

He fired another arrow and it hit Bane on the shoulder. He pressed a button and Bane was electrocuted. After a few seconds, he ripped out the arrow and crushed it.

Before Clint could react, Bane ran up to him and swept him away with his hand.

* * *

Lance and Hall were still running in the subway as Felicity gave them instructions.

"You found it, yet?" she asked.

"Not exactly sure what we're looking for", Hall said.

"Do you want me to describe it?" Felicity asked.

At that moment, Lance and Hall stopped and stared ahead. In front of them was the Markov device.

"No, we've got it", Lance said as the two cops moved cautiously towards it.

"You should see something that looks like a circuit board", Felicity said, "Pull it out."

Hall pulled the cover off the device and the two looked around as Felicity asked, "Do any of you see a timer?"

Lance looked at the countdown clock and informed her, "7 minutes."

Felicity swallowed, "Okay, the good news is, this is going to be a paperweight in 3."

* * *

Roy was running around, wondering what to do. People were running, screaming and even looting. He stopped on hearing something from the alley and moved there to see an old man being assaulted.

"What do you got there, grandpa?" one punk asked.

"Hey! Hey!" Roy ran to them as 2 punks dragged an old man to the 3rd, "Hey! Back off!"

"Learn how to count, jerk wad", the leader said, "There's 3 of us."

"Oh, is that right?" Roy asked.

The two moved at him as the old man ran off. Roy ducked to avoid a punch and then punched the 2nd thug on the face before smashing his head on a window near the ground. The first one grabbed him in a chokehold but he flipped, throwing him on top of the previous one, knocking them both out.

"Cause I only count one", Roy said to the leader.

Suddenly, the leader pulled out a gun and said, "With a gun."

Roy thought he was about to die when a bottle smashed on the back of the thug's head, taking him down.

Roy looked at him in shock and then looked up to see Thea walking up to him.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" he asked her, not believing she was here.

"I guess I have wicked aim", she said shakily.

"What?" he asked as he walked up to her.

"I went to your house", she said.

"Yeah, I figured I'd run for my life with everyone else", Roy said before asking, "Did- did you come here to rescue me?"

"Yeah", she smiled.

He smiled back at the fact that she cared for him and said, "Come on."

He took her arm and lead her away.

* * *

At the rooftop of Merlyn Global, the two archers kept firing arrows at each other, and dodging each one. Malcolm tried to smack Oliver with the bow but he slid down on his knees and ended up behind him. Malcolm tried to bring the bow down on him but he blocked with his own. He then got up and they used their bows as bo-staffs, trying to hit the other. Both of them managed to block each other's strikes.

Oliver smacked Merlyn on the chest and then ducked to avoid a strike before jumping back to avoid another. He then grabbed Merlyn's arm as he tried to punch and flipped him to the other side before firing an arrow.

Like the previous time, Malcolm grabbed the arrow just before it hit his face. The arrow beeped and exploded on his face, sending him to the ground as Oliver watched.

* * *

"There are 3 wires- you need a green one, a yellow, and a blue", Felicity said to Lance and Hall, "Cut the blue."

"All right, I got it, I got it", Lance said as he cut the wire. Suddenly, the device seemed to come alive. The two looked at the clock and saw it had reset itself to 2 minutes.

"Oh, my God!" McKenna gasped in horror.

"No, no, no, no, no", Lance said.

"There must be some sort of anti-tamper safeguard", Felicity said, "Hold on. I'm going to try to figure out how to override it."

"Not enough time", Lance muttered as he backed from the device before screaming, "There's not enough time!"

"Just hold on!" Felicity urged calmly.

"Not enough time", Lance said as he pulled out the phone and dialed a number.

The one on the other end picked up and he said, "Laurel."

"Dad, don't worry, I got your message and I did not come to work today", Laurel lied as she frantically packed up files in boxes.

"Save it, kiddo", Lance said, "We both know you're there. But listen, you got to get out of the Glades. You got to get out of the Glades right now! Okay, please."

"Dad?" Laurel asked in concern.

"Right now, Laurel!" he screamed over the phone, "Right now, Laurel!"

"Daddy, you're scaring me", she said, afraid.

"Sorry but….. I'm not- I'm not going to make it", Lance told his daughter.

"What?! What?!" Laurel exclaimed tearfully.

"You have to promise me one thing, Laurel. You're not going to die along with me. You have to go on with your life. After your sister died, I pushed people away. I became like a ghost", he told her, "I didn't think that I had the right to live when my baby girl didn't. Promise me you're not going to make the same mistakes I did."

"Where are you?" Laurel whispered, crying.

"Promise me, Laurel", he begged, "Promise me."

"I promise", she said brokenly.

Lance closed his eyes, wiped his tears and said, "I love you honey, now and forever."

"I love you", Laurel said but the line went dead.

"Dad!" she yelled and started sobbing.

Lance took a deep breath as the comms beeped.

"Detective Lance? Detective Hall?" Felicity said, "I need you to listen to me very carefully."

* * *

Matt was being choked by Yamura. With his senses, he had heard Lance's conversation with Laurel. Due to his current predicament, he thought he wouldn't meet her again either.

"Goodbye, Laurel", he whispered as he gasped for breath.

"You're going to die alone", Yamura sneered.

Suddenly, they heard a gun click. Gunshots were fired and Yamura flipped back to avoid them.

He turned to the direction of the gunshots and saw Natasha lowering her gun and putting it back inside.

"He's not alone", she said to him.

Matt got up and moved behind Yamura, giving Natasha a nod of appreciation. Matt and Natasha now stood on both sides of Yamura, ready to fight him.

The 2 kicked him simultaneously and he ducked to avoid before flip kicking Matt away. Natasha tried to punch him but he blocked, kneed her and pushed her away before jumping back to avoid a kick from Matt. At that moment, Natasha kicked him on the chest and he staggered back.

The two tried to kick simultaneously but he jumped back and kicked Matt who blocked with his elbows. He tried to spin kick Natasha but she ducked and kicked him at Matt who kicked him back at her. He then kicked Matt on the abdomen and Natasha on the chest, making them both stagger back.

He then spun around and elbowed Natasha on the chest before kicking her away. Matt leapt at him from behind but Yamura grabbed him and slammed him on the ground.

Natasha tried to kick him again but he grabbed her foot and slammed her down. As she tried to get up, he kicked her down again. Matt leapt over her and gave him a flying kick, making him stagger back.

He then blocked 2 kicks from Matt who then swept his feet from under him, making him fall down. He grabbed Matt's foot and kicked him away. As he got up, Matt kicked him on the chest and he staggered back.

Natasha tried to punch him but he ducked, grabbed her by the waist and slammed her down. Matt tried to kick him but he blocked and elbowed him on the chest and then on the knee, making him kneel. He then kneed Matt on the face and he fell down.

As Natasha tried to get up, he tried to kick her on the face. She grabbed his foot and slammed him to the ground. As he tried to get up, Natasha kicked him on the face. He rolled away and got up, flip kicking her on the face, making her stagger away.

* * *

Roy had liberated a truck and was trying to drive Thea out of there. He was typing on the phone as he drove at a breakneck pace.

"You do know how dangerous it is to text and drive, right?" she asked him, "It can wait!"

"No, it can't", he said, "I'm trying to find us another route out of here."

Thea snatched the phone and said, "Let me. It's not worth the risk."

She looked out and saw an SUV ahead, blocking the intersection and yelled, "Roy!"

Roy slammed the brakes and spun the wheel, stopping the truck and barely missing the SUV, stopping just short of a person. The man banged on the hood of the car, "Help me out! Help me out!"

Roy got out and saw that a car had smashed into a bus, hitting it right at the door, pinning everyone inside.

"Roy!" Thea ran after him, "Roy! Stop, Roy! The device can go off any second! Or Bane can tear this place apart!"

Roy looked at the people in the bus and said, "I can't leave anyone behind."

"I know you think you have something to prove", she said, "But you're not Daredevil or the Vigilante!"

Roy took her shoulders and said, "Look, I can't do this unless I know you're safe."

"Then you better haul ass out of here too", she said. The two then kissed passionately, illuminated by the sparks of a busted transformer. They pulled away and he pressed his forehead to hers, staring into her eyes. She nodded and ran back to the truck. He watched her climb into it and turned back to the people in the bus.

* * *

Bane lifted Clint by the throat and threw him off. As Bane advanced towards him, an eskrima stick hit him behind the head and flew back to the outstretched hand of its owner- Nightwing.

Bane looked at him and grunted in rage, "You?"

"Yeah, me", Nightwing said as he leapt down, "You broke the back of my mentor. Now it's time for him to be avenged."

Bane angrily tried to swipe him away but he flipped back. He then slid in between Bane's legs and emerging from the other end, hit his left foot with the sticks. The sticks also hit him with the sparks of electricity and he staggered slightly as Nightwing leapt back.

"Thanks for the save", Clint said as he walked up to him, "Dick!"

Dick Grayson looked at Clint in surprise.

"We know everything about vigilantes", Clint said to him.

"It's nice to meet you", Dick said as he held out his hand and Clint shook it.

"So what's the plan?" Clint asked.

"I will distract him", said Dick, "You smash that storage tank behind him."

As Bane ran at them, the two slid to different sides. Clint fired an arrow at his leg and pressed his bow, giving him electric shocks again.

As Bane ripped the arrow out, Dick leapt at him and hit him with the gauntlets, the 100,000 volt stun-gun on his right gauntlet stunning Bane even more after the arrow.

Dick leapt off him and threw a smoke pellet which blinded Bane temporarily. As Bane came out of the smoke, Dick flipped into the air and threw 2 Wing-Dings at him. They hit Bane and embedded onto him. As he made to rip them out, Clint fired an arrow behind him. The arrow multiplied into 3 and they embedded themselves on the storage tank where all the Venom was stored.

Clint then pressed a button and the arrows exploded, destroying the tank and Bane was flipped to the ground. He yelled in agony, the sudden loss of the Venom causing his body to spasm. Bane managed to get up and staggered. Dick leapt at him with a flying kick, sending him to the ground. Before he could do anything else, Clint smacked his face with the bow and he was out cold.

Clint and Dick looked at each other and nodded in appreciation.

* * *

Matt tried to kick Yamura who blocked the kick and ducked to avoid a punch. Matt tried to punch again and Yamura blocked. Matt spun around and elbowed him, making him stagger back. He then grabbed Matt by the waist and slammed him to the ground. Natasha leapt at him and kicked him on the knee, making him kneel. Before she could kick again, he leapt up and kicked her away. Matt grabbed him from behind and held him in a chokehold, allowing Natasha to kick him before pushing him off. Matt then took out his club and in a spin motion, hit Yamura while Natasha flip kicked him and in a spin motion, knelt down and hit his left foot with the Widow's Bite, making him yell in pain as Matt kicked him away.

Yamura tried to punch him but he ducked and went behind him. Then he gave Yamura a push kick on the back and he staggered to Natasha who hit him with the Widow's Bite on the chest, making him yell in pain as he staggered back.

By now, Matt was getting flashbacks to his and Elektra's final fight against Nobu. Like in that fight, their opponent now got pissed. He angrily leapt in the air and gave Matt a hard kick on the chest, making him fly back by a few feet. Yamura then flip kicked him to the ground and then with another flip, hit him on the chest. He then angrily punched Matt's face multiple times with a roar.

Natasha grabbed him and pushed him off of Matt before ducking to avoid a punch and sweeping his feet from under him. She then hit him with the Widow's Bite on the chest and he went into violent spasms. But he somehow managed to push Natasha off and held her to the ground.

Grabbing her hands, he pressed her bracelets to her chest and then pressed the buttons, shocking Natasha by her own Widow's Bite. She went into violent spasms. By that time, Matt got up and was horrified by what was happening. He went up behind Yamura and grabbed him in a chokehold. But he was too weak to push him off of her now.

Natasha's eyes were barely open. If he didn't do anything, she would die.

"DON'T DO THIS!" Matt yelled.

"I will kill her", Yamura gasped in the chokehold but continued shocking her, "And you will live with the guilt forever."

"STOP!" Matt yelled, "STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

"Never."

Something then snapped inside Matt as he remembered that horrible night.

* * *

_Nobu had lifted him up by the collar and prepared to stab him with the sai. Just before he could, Elektra grabbed his hand and made it plunge the sai into herself._

* * *

SNAP!

Matt let go as Yamura's lifeless body swayed and fell on the ground with a thud. Matt then fell on his knees as Natasha gasped for breath, recovering.

Matt breathed hard and his heart beat so rapidly that it hurt. He couldn't feel anything. He felt like a piece of his soul had been ripped off.

'You are just one bad day away from being me.'

Matt closed his eyes, still breathing hard. He had never felt this broken before. He was so angry. But he just wanted to save Natasha. Right? He did not want someone else to die for him like Elektra had. But what had he done? What was he now?

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The scream of pain, guilt, shame and rage that he had given out to try to make the pain go away sent chills down Natasha's spine. Even Lance and Hall heard it and jumped.

Natasha put her hand on his shoulder to offer comfort. Matt could now feel tears pouring from his eyes. Touching Natasha's hand, he turned to her. She wrapped him in a hug as he cried.

* * *

At the rooftop of Merlyn Global, Oliver ran at Malcolm and tried to hit him with the bow but he brandished a sword and blocked. He tried to swing it at Oliver who leaned back to avoid. As Malcolm struck again, Oliver grabbed his hand and hit it with the bow, making him drop it. Malcolm then did a roll and kicked Oliver on the back, sending him sprawling on the ground. As Malcolm got up, Oliver did a flip and kicked him on the face, making him stagger.

Oliver then ran up to him, grabbed his head between his legs and did a huricrunrana, landing Malcolm on the ground on his back as he landed on the top. As Oliver got up, Malcolm jumped at him, spinning from an arm bar to a reverse choke. He reared back, cutting off the air supply to Oliver's lungs.

Oliver gave him a few backward punches on the face as John crawled out and witnessed the fight. Oliver reached back and ripped off Malcolm's hood and mask, throwing them to the ground.

"Don't struggle, it's over", Malcolm said as they fell to their knees, "There was never any doubt in the outcome. Don't worry. Your mother and your sister will be joining you in death."

Oliver struggled with all of his might and remembered his father shooting himself, along with his last request.

'Survive.'

On the ground in front of Oliver lay a black arrow. He reached for it even as his eyes darkened. Without hesitation, he gripped the shaft and then jammed it through his own chest. It protruded from his back and was jammed into Malcolm's chest, finally protruding from his back.

Malcolm yelled in pain and let go. Oliver allowed himself to fall forward, letting the arrow go through him all the way as Malcolm fell on his back, gasping in pain.

"Thank you for teaching me what I am fighting for", Oliver snarled as he got back on his feet and looked down at his enemy, "But my father taught me how."

Malcolm tried to rise but Oliver gave him a hard punch on the jaw, knocking him down as John watched in stunned silence.

* * *

Down in the subway, Lance and Hall were trying to follow Felicity's instructions.

"Come on!" he said in frustration, twisting 2 wires together.

Hall pulled a third- and the machine spluttered and died. The two sat back, relieved.

* * *

On the rooftop, Oliver got the message from Felicity.

"Oliver", she said, "Lance and Hall did it."

Oliver stared down at Malcolm and said, "It's over."

"If I've learned anything as a successful businessman, it's", Malcolm coughed weakly, "Redundancy."

Malcolm then collapsed, face first on the ground, dead.

Oliver stared at him for a moment before the realization hit him.

"Felicity, there's another device", he said with dread in his voice, "There's 2 of them!"

* * *

In the east side of the Glades, in an abandoned subway, the second Markov device lowered into place and activated. The shaking then started.

* * *

Matt pulled himself out of Natasha's hug and looked around before realizing it, "There's another device! And it's on!"

Natasha's eyes widened in horror as Lance and Hall staggered to them. The four staggered out of the subway onto Pabst Street as the ground shook and Lance yelled, "What the hell's happening?"

* * *

At CNRI, the office shook itself apart. Laurel looked around and stopped Joanna and Anastasia, "Okay, that's enough."

* * *

In the lair, Felicity sat in stunned shock as the lights flickered and the place shook around her.

* * *

Clint and Dick looked around with horrified expressions as the ground shook and the people ran in fear.

* * *

On the roof of Merlyn Global, Oliver and John staggered to the roof to watch the devastation.

* * *

On the ground, Lance called in to Felicity and shouted, "I turned the damn thing off!"

"Merlyn had a second device!" Felicity replied, crying.

"My daughter! Laurel! She's at CNRI!" Lance cried out in horror and ran to the direction. Matt knew that and muttered in muffled horror, "Laurel!"

He then ran off and jumped to a set of stairs before jumping onto a rooftop. He then jumped around to reach CNRI as quickly as possible.

* * *

At CNRI, Laurel pushed Joanna and Anastasia forward, "RUN!"

She grabbed some files and tried to run out too but the shaking threw her off balance. She looked up just as a support beam swung down at her from the ceiling, hitting her and sending her crashing into the wall. She fell on the ground, stunned, and the chunk of the building fell on her, pinning her to the ground.

Joanna and Anastasia made it outside and spun around, yelling simultaneously, "Laurel!"

* * *

In the lair, Felicity tearfully called her boss, "Oliver!"

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah", she said and gasped as several machines exploded behind her while dust rained down from an aftershock. There was still power and she pulled up the damage assessment on her computer, "The damage seems to be contained on the east side, past Wells street."

"Laurel", Oliver said as he stared in shock and asked Diggle, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Go, go, go", John told him as Oliver ran to his bike while Diggle stayed on the roof, watching the chaos unfold.

* * *

At CNRI, Laurel woke up and tried to push the concrete off her to no avail.

"Help!" she cried out with sobs, "Please! Help me!"

At that moment, Daredevil arrived there and ran to her.

"Y-you?" she looked at him in surprise.

Daredevil gripped the concrete and grunted heavily. He then roared and managed to lift it off her. She crawled out as Daredevil yelled, "Get out!"

She ran out as fast as she could.

"Laurel! Laurel!" yelled Quentin as he arrived and she hugged him tightly and said tearfully, "Dad! Dad!"

Tommy was there too, having figured she would be at CNRI.

The two friends hugged each other. That moment, the building collapsed on itself.

* * *

Daredevil let the concrete go in time and just avoided being crushed by huge chunks of masonry but a heavy chunk managed to hit his foot, breaking it and making him kneel.

He decided to not try to save himself. After killing someone, he deserved to die. It was his punishment. That moment, his hearing picked up the sound of something piercing through the air.

* * *

John was still on the rooftop when he saw some flying body soar through the air.

* * *

Natasha and Hall helped residents when they heard the sound and saw a flying body soar through the air. Natasha smiled at that. There was hope finally.

* * *

Clint and Dick helped residents when they heard the sound too and saw the figure soaring by.

* * *

Oliver stopped his bike near the collapsed CNRI building and was about to go in when he heard the soaring as well. Laurel, Quentin, Joanna and Anastasia heard it too and looked at the sky along with Oliver.

A red and yellow figure landed on the ground.

Tony Stark!

He was the one Natasha had called before helping Matt against Yamura but because he wasn't in the continent due to a business deal overseas, he had been delayed.

Standing in front of the collapsed building, he pointed his gauntlets at it and they fired repulsor beams, clearing any rubble blocking the path.

* * *

Matt was still on the ground when he heard the rubble being blown away. He felt heavy footsteps move closer to him. Metallic footsteps.

He knew who this was.

"Tony!" he said as he looked up, "Tony Stark!"

"I saved the Devil", Tony muttered to himself, "What a name for an autobiography,"

He then grabbed Daredevil and flew him out of the collapsed building before putting him down near The Hood.

"Nice to meet you, Robin Hood", he said to him before flying off.

He then flew to the east side of the Glades and his A.I. JARVIS said in his British accent, "The Markov device appears to be in the subway, sir."

"Can we disarm it?" Tony asked him.

"It has been activated now, sir", JARVIS said, "So no."

"I guess it's time to turn 'Herculean' into 'Starkian'", Tony joked as he flew into the subway and looked at the activated device.

The device was lowered into place. He grabbed it and using all the strength from his suit, managed to rip it from the ground. He then flew out of the subway into the air. He threw the device into the sky and hit it with fully powered repulsor beams from both gauntlets, blowing it up to bits.

On the ground, everyone gave sighs of relief that the nightmare was finally over. But the loss of life was huge and this night would haunt everyone in their dreams forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The longest chapter I have ever written. I always planned for Tony to make an appearance here but I did not want it to be out of the blue so I had the scene of Natasha calling him earlier in the chapter. But I think Bane and the Markov device (before Tony blasted it) still caused a lot of damage and loss of life so him saving the day doesn't ruin the entire chapter(hopefully).
> 
> The biggest change here was that Tommy is still alive. With Matt being Laurel's boyfriend, I think it's not impossible for him to take Tommy's place. But he is the hero along with Oliver so I can't kill him off just like that. Speaking of killing-
> 
> Matt killing might raise some eyebrows. But remember, Frank said he was only bad day away from being him. Plus, the fight with Yamura brought back memories of the fight with Nobu and the fact that he couldn't save Elektra made him snap here so he could save Natasha. I think the no-killing rule can only take you so far. But there should be no indiscriminate killing either. Oliver's level of killing is the best IMHO.
> 
> Once again, I used fight scenes from The Raid and its sequel but they are just so damn awesome!
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.


	20. Afternath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt deals with the emotional fallout that comes after his first kill while the people in the city start recovering from the Undertaking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil, Arrow or anything else you may recognize
> 
> Thank you to everyone for the kudos, hits, comments and bookmarks.
> 
> So this is the last chapter. It's been a fun ride with you all.

All the news channels around the U.S.A. were reporting the Undertaking. Most people were horrified at how psychotic Malcolm Merlyn turned out to be. The people who had decided to give him the Humanitarian Award were disgusted at themselves. People's fears about such technology being in the wrong hands was justified by this incident.

But public opinion of vigilantes changed drastically. People now saw Daredevil, The Hood and Nightwing in a more positive light and the police forces actually took a huge break from hunting them. Hawkeye and Black Widow's involvement were kept secret. Tony Stark- the Iron Man got a lot of credit for destroying the device and he took it. But underneath that exterior, he had a heart and he used Stark Industries' charity organizations to give money to the authorities to help treat the wounded, bury the dead and rebuild the Glades.

Moira Queen was incarcerated and awaited her trial. Quentin though, was demoted to patrol cop in spite of his heroic actions. Hall resigned from the SCPD due to the injustice.

* * *

Matt, Oliver, Natasha, Clint, John, Felicity and Tommy sat together in the lair.

Oliver got up and looked at Tommy remorsefully.

"I am sorry, Tommy", Oliver said, "I know he was your father. But I had to do it. He would never have stopped."

Tommy looked at Oliver and after a deep breath, said, "Don't be sorry, Oliver."

Oliver looked at him in confusion and he said, "My father died years ago, the same night as my mother. The man after that, was just a psychopath hell bent on revenge. So you don't have to be sorry. I am sorry, for everything I said to you."

"It's fine, Tommy", Oliver said with some emotion in his voice, "It's fine."

Oliver and Tommy then hugged each other for a minute and let go.

"Got to go now", Tommy said, "I have to do something to stop Merlyn Global from crumbling."

Tommy then walked away after waving goodbye.

Matt had not spoken a word since the end of the Undertaking. All his friends- especially Oliver and Natasha were now worried sick.

"Matt!" Oliver said, causing Matt to look at him, "Talk to me!"

"We won, Matt", Natasha said to him, "So don't be sad."

"I killed him", Matt said, "I killed Yamura. I don't know how I can be happy after taking a life."

"Sometimes, you don't have a choice", John told Matt, "You just gotta do what you gotta do."

"I had the rule", Matt said, "I swore to never break it. And now I killed him."

"And if you hadn't, he would have killed me", Natasha said to him, "Listen to me, Matt, you saved my life and I thank you for that. You don't have to be so depressed."

Matt just turned to her and said, "It was my worst fear."

As everyone looked at him in confusion, he revealed, "When I fought Crane, he hit me with the toxin."

Everyone's eyes widened in shock as Matt continued, "I felt myself as a killer. A ruthless monster who enjoys murder. And now it's coming true."

Natasha put her hands on his shoulders and asked, "Did you like it? Killing him?"

Matt shook his head and said, "No. Not one bit."

"Then you are not a monster", Oliver told him, "You saved a life. And taking the high road is never more important than saving people's lives."

"As long as you don't enjoy murder, you are a human being", Natasha said.

Clint then held out his hand and said, "Thank you for saving Natasha."

After a moment of hesitation, Matt shook it.

"Boss has called us back", Natasha said to them, "To report the specifics of this."

"We need to go", Clint said, "Goodbye."

Oliver shook their hands, thanking them for their help and then the four bid them goodbye as the 2 agents walked out.

As Matt sat there, Oliver said, "So what are you going to do now?"

After some consideration, Matt said honestly, "I don't know."

He then got up and said, "I'm going back."

Oliver held out his hand and said, "Thank you for all your help, Matt."

Matt shook his hand and shook John's hand too.

Felicity gave him a hug which he returned and then after giving them a nod which they returned, walked out.

* * *

Matt knocked on Laurel's door, holding a case.

Laurel opened it and seeing him, wrapped him into a tight hug which he returned.

She let go and said, "Thank God you're okay."

"I'm glad you're okay", Matt said, "I don't know what I would do if something had happened to you."

"Same", Laurel said as she hugged him again and kissed his cheek.

After taking a deep breath, Matt said, "Laurel, I want to show you something."

"What?" Laurel asked.

Matt put the case on the table and slowly opening it, took out the mask and set it down, "I'm Daredevil."

Laurel's jaw gaped open as she looked between the helmet and Matt.

"I am sorry I lied to you about this", Matt said, "I really am. But now I realize, you deserved to know."

"H-how?" was all she could say, "You're blind."

"I think I have a long overdue explanation waiting for you", Matt said and the two sat down as he told her about his accident and all that happened since then.

At the end of the story, he said, "I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"Don't be", Laurel said as she held his face in her hands, "You saved me. You saved my father from that assassin."

Matt then took some deep breaths and said, "I don't think I can stay here right now."

"Why?" Laurel asked.

"I killed a man", Matt said.

"What?" Laurel asked.

"The assassin", Matt said, "I killed him."

"Why?"

"He was going to kill a friend of mine", Matt said, "But I killed him."

"Then you shouldn't feel bad about yourself", Laurel told him.

"I had sworn never to take a life", Matt said, "But I did. I committed a sin. Now I don't know what I am."

"You are a hero", Laurel assured him, "You help people, save their lives."

"The thing is", Matt said, "My greatest fear was that I would one day turn into a ruthless murderer. And now I think it is coming true."

"What are you trying to say?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"I need to figure out who I am", Matt said, "Alone."

"No", Laurel said as tears started flowing from her eyes, "We can figure this out. Together."

"I assure you, Laurel, this thing between us is not over", Matt promised, "But I need to do this alone. I can't let you get sucked in by this darkness inside me. Okay?"

With some tears in her eyes, Laurel finally nodded, "Okay."

"I am sorry", Matt said with tears and kissed her forehead. He then let go, picked up his case and walked out.

* * *

Matt sat in the confession booth, not saying a word.

"What is it you want forgiveness for, my son?" Father Lantom asked kindly.

"Something I had sworn I would never do", Matt said with a neutral face, "A grave sin that I have committed, father."

"I am sure if you are truly repentant, God will forgive you", Father Lantom said, "He always sees the good if the person's heart is free of any evil and malice. Is your heart free of them?"

"I don't know what is inside my heart, to be honest", Matt said, "I don't if I even want to go out there now."

"Whatever you do, son", Father Lantom said, "It is your decision. But remember, He is always watching."

Matt was silent now as he contemplated Father Lantom's words.

* * *

Matt stood in front of the case which contained his Daredevil suit. It was open right now. Matt could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He took a deep breath.

And then, he put his hand on the case's lid and slowly closed it. He then locked up the lid and pushed the case under the bed.

He rose up and picked up his walking stick. He then walked out of the apartment, to work in his old firm. In his mind, he could only say-

'There is no more Devil. Now there is only- Matt Murdock.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this story ends here. I thought to make 2 more chapters but then I decided this is a good ending point. But I plan on making this a trilogy so there are 2 more stories after this. The third one will be my alternate version of 'Arrow Season 2.' The second one- let's just say it's a surprise.
> 
> I hope I handled Matt's emotional turmoil after his first kill nicely.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed or reviewed this fic. Thank you to everyone who supported me in different ways while I wrote this. I greatly appreciate everything you have said to me.
> 
> It's been a pleasure, all of you. Goodbye, for now.
> 
> Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.
> 
> Until next time.
> 
> Aragorn II Elessar.


End file.
